Polanski offers Swiss a sizeable bail in cash

A lawyer for film director Roman Polanski, who has been held in a Swiss prison since September, says a new bail offer – of a "very, very significant" cash amount – will be filed today.

Swiss authorities rejected an offer on Friday, considering the 76-year-old filmmaker awaiting a decision on extradition to the United States a high flight risk. They noted it was not a cash offer.

Herve Temime told France-Info radio yesterday that the latest offer is in cash. He wouldn't say how much. He said Polanski would accept the extradition decision "whatever it is" and assured his client would never behave "like a fugitive."

Polanski, arrested September 26, is wanted in the US for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1977. Polanski fled the US before sentencing.