This just in: The Swiss government is declining to extradite child rapist and fugitive Roman Polanski to the U.S. to face sentencing in the 32-year-old case against him. Their rationale for declining this request has yet to be provided. But it's safe to assume it's because he's such a celebrated film director and artiste and has nothing to do with the legal merits of the case.

So if you thinking of drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl and then fleeing to Europe to escape punishment make sure your artistic bona fides are well in place. Otherwise, you might be sent back here to face the music.

UPDATE: Here is the legal reasoning provided by the Swiss justice ministry. Note that the story is being covered by the "arts beats" columnist of the paper.

In rejecting the extradition request from the United States, the Swiss ministry cited two factors: first, the Swiss said, the U.S. had failed to provide the records of a January hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court that would have shown the judge in charge of the Polanski case in 1977 agreed that “the 42 days of detention spent by Roman Polanski in the psychiatric unit of a Californian prison represented the whole term of imprisonment he was condemned to.”

Second, the Swiss said, when Mr. Polanski traveled in September 2009 to the Zurich Film Festival where he was arrested as he arrived at the airport, he did so in “good faith” that “the journey would not entail any legal disadvantages for him.” The Swiss justice ministry noted that Mr. Polanski had been staying regularly in Switzerland since 2006, and though “he was registered in the Swiss registry of wanted persons, he was never controlled by the Swiss authorities.”

The California judge in the original case commanded Polanski to serve 90 days in the shrink unit of the jail. He was let out in just 42, which is what set the judge off. At the very least he appeared as if he was going to order him to serve the 48 more days. Instead, Polanski beat it out of the country. He's been on the lam every since.

The Swiss rationale for failing to extradict him is baloney. He drugged an anally raped a 13 year old girl, was given a sweetheart deal and didn't even live up to that. At least he had to spend several months under house arrest at his own Swiss chalet. Now there's tough time for you.