Fugitive and Oscar-winning movie director Roman Polanski says he has no intention of returning to the United States.
Polanski's pledge is contained in legal documents he has lodged to win dismissal of 1977 criminal convictions of having sex with a 13-year-old girl at the home of Hollywood star Jack Nicholson.
Defense attorney Chad Hummel says in the documents that 75-year-old Polanski's court battle is motivated by his desire to leave a legacy of justice.
"Mr Polanski has no plans ever to return to the United States but what happens here will have an enduring legacy for the justice system," says the legal brief. It claims that dismissing the 1977 rape case would show that judicial and prosecutorial misconduct cannot go unpunished.
Hummel is relying heavily on new revelations from the film Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.
He alleges that last year's documentary revealed "a pattern of misconduct and improper communications" between the Los Angeles County district attorney's office and the judge in Polanski's case.
Polanski pleaded guilty to the charges but flew to Europe before sentencing. His attorney contends the now-dead judge planned to change the agreed-upon sentence, prompting the director to flee the country.
Last month's surprise move by Polanski seeking dismissal of the case has produced a blizzard of legal documents including a prosecution reply which for the first time revealed explicit sexual details of the assault on the girl.
(China Daily/Agencies January 15, 2009)
