LA prosecutor hits back at Polanski criticism

Los Angeles: Los Angeles`s top prosecutor hit back at supporters of arrested director Roman Polanski, rejecting claims that authorities were "persecuting" the disgraced film-maker.

District Attorney Steve Cooley told reporters that the arrest of the 76-year-old Oscar-winner was simply a matter of "concluding" legal proceedings that have been in limbo since Polanski fled the United States in 1978. "I don`t persecute anybody. It`s a matter of court processes being concluded," Cooley told KCAL9 local television. Polanski was detained in Switzerland on Saturday over a three-decade-old sex abuse case involving a 13-year-old girl. Polanski, who was initially charged with rape and other offences, pleaded guilty to unlawful intercourse with a minor after striking a deal with prosecutors but fled California before he was due to be sentenced. His arrest drew an angry response from officials in France and Poland and was criticised in a petition signed by Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Penelope Cruz and other mostly European film-makers. Cooley also took issue with a comment made by famed producer Harvey Weinstein, who referred to Polanski`s offences as a "so-called crime." "Mister Polanski pled guilty to a crime, so apparently Mr Polanski believes it`s a crime," Cooley said. Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse, but he was also originally charged with five other counts: furnishing a controlled substance to a minor, lewd or lascivious acts upon a child under 14, rape by use of drugs, perversion and sodomy. Cooley, meanwhile, declined to discuss how prosecutors planned to handle Polanski`s case if he is successfully extradited to Los Angeles. "We`re doing our job," he said. "We know how to extradite people and we`re going to process it according to the standards set by the extradition treaty between the United States of America and Switzerland." Meanwhile, the director of a documentary that helped Polanski`s legal team challenge a claim of judicial misconduct last year said she was baffled by comments from a retired prosecutor who said he had lied in the film. David Wells, 71, said in the documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" that he had talked with the judge in the famous case before he rendered a sentence and told him that the director deserved prison. Wells told US media on Thursday that his revelations were lies. Documentary film-maker Marina Zenovich described his comments as "sad." "I am astonished that he has now changed his story," Zenovich said. "It is a sad day for documentary filmmakers when something like this happens." California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger entered the furore over arrested film-maker Roman Polanski on Thursday, saying the Oscar-winning director was not above the law. Related article: Arnold Schwarzenegger comments Former Hollywood actor Schwarzenegger said that while he remained an admirer of Polanski`s work, the 76-year-old should not receive special treatment in his three-decade-old child sex case. "It doesn`t matter if it`s Roman Polanski or anyone else," Schwarzenegger told CNN. "It doesn`t matter if you are a big-time movie actor or a big-time movie director or producer. "I think that he is a very respected person, and I am a big admirer of his work. But nevertheless, I think he should be treated like everyone else." Schwarzenegger said, however, that claims of judicial misconduct in the Polanski case should also be considered. Bureau Report