A Canadian school teacher convicted of sexually abusing kindergarten children in Indonesia turned himself in to serve an 11-year jail term Friday after his acquittal was overturned by the country’s highest court.
Indonesia’s Supreme Court this week quashed the acquittals of Neil Bantleman of Burlington, Ontario, and his Indonesian colleague Ferdinand Tjiong, who were sentenced to 10 years last year after being convicted of sexually abusing kindergarten children.
An appellate court in August quashed the 10-year sentences and ordered them released, but prosecutors appealed.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court reinstated the guilty verdicts and increased the jail terms to 11 years.
Bantleman, 46, surrendered to prosecutors on the resort island of Bali on Friday, officials said.
Tjiong was picked up by police a day earlier.
Bantleman’s wife called his rearrest “inhumane.”
“What has happened is inhumane, ridiculous and absurd. Neil and Ferdy [Tijong] are honourable men,” Tracy Bantleman told reporters.
The Canadian government was “deeply dismayed and shocked” by the court’s decision, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said on Thursday.
“This decision is unjust, given the many grave irregularities throughout the various proceedings in this case and the fact that all evidence presented by the defence has systematically been rejected,” Dion said in Ottawa.
Despite Canada’s repeated calls for due process, this case was not handled in a fair and transparent manner, he said.
“The outcome of this case has serious implications for Indonesia’s reputation as a safe place for Canadians to work, travel and invest, as well as for Canada’s long history of cooperation with Indonesia,” Dion said.
With files from Reuters
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