Switzerland has received a formal request from the U.S. to extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski, the Swiss Justice department said Friday, The Wall Street Journal informs Oct. 23.

“The Justice Ministry will forward the extradition request to the canton of Zurich for the purpose of holding a hearing for Mr. Polanski. The ministry will decide whether to extradite the Oscar-winning director depending on the outcome of the hearing and the information provided by Mr. Polanski's lawyer.

If extradition is considered admissible, Mr. Polanski will have the option of appealing the decision before the Federal Criminal Court and the Federal Supreme Court as the court of last instance.

The Franco-Polish film director was arrested in Zurich Sept. 26 on the basis of a U.S. warrant and taken into custody awaiting extradition. He has been a fugitive from the U.S. since 1978, when he fled the country after pleading guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. He has lived in France ever since, and was arrested in Switzerland when he arrived here for a film festival,” the source reads.