Swiss Defend Tipping The U.S. To Polanski’s Arrival

GENEVA (AP) - Swiss authorities say they acted correctly when they tipped off the United States and set in motion the arrest of Roman Polanski in his decades-old child sex case.

Justice Ministry spokesman Folco Galli says e-mails obtained by The Associated Press show correct police procedures when a wanted individual is expected in Switzerland.

Galli told the AP on Wednesday that Swiss officials asked their American counterparts if their arrest warrant was still valid. After receiving U.S. confirmation, he said Switzerland was obliged by treaty to apprehend the 76-year-old director.

The documents obtained by the AP show that Swiss authorities initiated the procedures for Polanski’s Sept. 26 arrest in Zurich as he arrived for a film festival.