Paris (AFP)

A French woman accused Friday Roman Polanski of having raped her in 1975 in Switzerland when she was eighteen, in a testimony published by Le Parisien a few days before the release of the filmmaker's new film, still under the influence of lawsuits of the American justice.

Valentine Monnier, whose charges are added to those of other women in recent years, says she has not filed a complaint for these facts, now prescribed. But she claims to have decided to publicly bear this accusation because of the release in France of the film "J'accuse", which relates to a miscarriage of justice, the Dreyfus case.

"I had no connection with him, no staff, no professional and hardly knew him", tells the Parisian this photographer, who was a model in New York and played in some movies in the 80s, as "Three men and a bassinet ".

"It was extremely violent, after a ski trip, in his chalet in Gstaad (Switzerland)." He hit me, beat me to my surrender and then raped me by doing all the vicissitudes, "he says. this daughter of Alsatian industrialists.

The filmmaker's lawyer, Hervé Temime, tells the Parisian that Roman Polanski "strongly contests any accusation of rape" and observes that these alleged facts dating from 45 years ago "were never brought to the attention of the judicial authority ".

Asked by AFP, the lawyer did not wish to make further comments in the immediate future.

Roman Polanski is also still being prosecuted by the American justice in the framework of the procedure for minor embezzlement launched against him in 1977.

He pleaded guilty in 1977 to the hijacking of a minor after having had illegal sex with Samantha Geimer, 13 years old. This single count was the result of an amicable agreement with the judge, after Polanski was initially charged with more serious charges, including the rape of a minor under the influence of narcotics.

Sentenced to 90 days in prison, he was released after 42 days. But the judge had flip-flopped, judging the sentence insufficient. Polanski had chosen to fly to France. He has since been under arrest warrant.

He has since been targeted by other charges. In the middle of the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, British actress Charlotte Lewis accused the director of having "sexually abused" her at 16 in a casting in 1983. A second woman, identified as "Robin", accused in August 2017 of sexual assault when she was 16, in 1973. In September 2017, Renate Langer, a former actress, filed a new rape complaint, claiming to have been assaulted in 1972 in Gstaad when she was 15 years. Two months later, the Swiss courts declared these accusations prescribed.

The accusations of these three women are "groundless", said Polanski's lawyer.

© 2019 AFP