Roman Polanski loses appeal for bail

Filmmaker Roman Polanski has had his appeal for release from a Swiss jail rejected ahead of his possible extradition to the US.

The Chinatown director saw his appeal denied as the Swiss Criminal Court backed an earlier ruling by the Justice Ministry that the 76-year-old could be considered a flight risk.

Polanski was arrested in Zurich last month in relation to a 32-year-old conviction for having sex with an underage girl.

He pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with an underage girl in 1977 after a plea bargain, but fled the US in 1978, later settling in France.

'According to Swiss law, detention is the rule during the entire extradition proceedings,' the Federal Criminal Court of Switzerland said in a statement issued after the Paris-born director's appeal was denied.

'The court considered the risk that Roman Polanski might flee if released from custody as high.'

Numerous filmmakers have signed a petition in protest at Polanski's arrest but US authorities have stressed the Polish filmmaker had been on an Interpol 'wanted list' for years.

'The idea that we have known where he is and we could have gotten him anytime, that just isn't the case,' US Marshals Service chief inspector Thomas Hession said.