French-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski will stand trial in Paris from Tuesday on charges of defamation.
The trial against the 90-year-old centres on allegations of sexual abuse by British actress Charlotte Lewis and an interview that the director gave to the magazine Paris Match at the end of 2019.
Lewis had accused Polanski of sexually abusing her in the 1980s when she was 16.
Polanski rejected the allegations and strongly reiterated his stance in the Paris Match interview.
"The basic quality of a good liar is an excellent memory," he was quoted as saying. "Charlotte Lewis is always included in the list of my accusers without these contradictions ever being pointed out."
While Lewis is expected to attend the start of the trial, Polanski is unlikely to initially appear in person.
In 1977, Polanski was arrested over allegations he raped a 13-year-old girl. He fled the US for Europe after it looked like a judge would reject a plea bargain. Other allegations have followed but he maintains his innocence.
