MUMBAI: After a California Court‘s order for the return of Roman Polanski to the United States to serve a sentence, more than three decades after he fled a statutory rape charge, Swiss legal experts observe that his extradition could be done in the coming months.

However, they predicted months of further legal wrangling before extradition.

Caught up in the complexity of the case, Switzerland has yet to issue a decision on delivering the fugitive Oscar-winning filmmaker to Los Angeles prosecutors nearly seven months after his arrest.

Swiss authorities have cited the voluminous paperwork and said they would wait out a California court‘s examination of whether Polanski could be sentenced in absentia for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

But the US Court rejected Polanski‘s sentencing request last Thursday without an opinion. While his attorneys could still appeal to the California Supreme Court, legal experts see little basis for Swiss authorities to reject handing over Polanski.

If the Swiss government ultimately approves extradition, Polanski could still lodge court appeals in Switzerland that would delay his return to the United States for months.