A Polish court has rejected a US request to extradite film-maker Roman Polanski over a conviction for having sex with a minor in 1977.
The decision is not legally binding, as the prosecutors can now appeal the ruling.
Should the court make a legally binding decision to grant the US request, it will be up to the justice minister to decide on whether to hand Polanski over.
“(Roman Polanski’s) extradition is inadmissible” said Judge Dariusz Mazur at the district court in the southern city of Krakow on Friday.
The judgse said the case was very complicated but an extradition procedure would violate the human rights of Polanski because he could be subject to confinement
“This is not about justice or the interest of the victim,” lawyer Jan Olszewski said.
The Oscar-winner pleaded guilty in 1977 to having sex with a 13-year-old girl during a photo shoot in Los Angeles.
Polanski served 42 days in jail after a plea bargain.
He fled the United States the following year, believing the judge hearing his case could overrule the deal and put him in jail for years.
During his career Polanski has directed films such as Rosemary's Baby (1968), a screen adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth (1971), Chinatown (1974) and The Pianist (2002)
Reuters