Polanski mulls legal riposte to France rape claim

Oscar-winner Roman Polanski is considering taking legal action against a French newspaper that published allegations from a former actress that the acclaimed director raped her, his lawyer said Sunday.

Valentine Monnier on Friday became the latest woman to accuse the Polish-French film director of rape, telling Le Parisien she was attacked in 1975, aged 18, at Polanski’s chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Gstaad.

“Mr Polanski disputes in the strongest terms this rape accusation,” lawyer Herve Temime told AFP in a statement.

“We are working on the legal action to bring against this publication,” he said referring to the Le Parisien newspaper.

Monnier, who appeared in several films in the 1980s, said she had finally decided to speak out as Polanski’s new film about an error of justice was due to come out.

“An Officer and A Spy” (J’accuse) hits cinemas in France on Wednesday.

Polanski fled to France from the United States in 1978 after admitting to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.US efforts to extradite him, including from Switzerland and Poland, have so far failed.