Neil Bantleman is back in Indonesian custody after the country’s Supreme Court overturned his acquittal on child sex abuse charges, according to his brother.

The teacher from Burlington and his wife Tracy were on the Indonesian island of Bali trying to stay out of the spotlight when they learned of the latest twist in a two year-long legal battle, Guy Bantleman told the Star.

“He’s already back in Jakarta now. He was met by Canadian consular officials when he got to the airport in Bali, and they coordinated his return to custody with his lawyer and the prosecutor’s office,” Guy said in an interview Thursday.

Global Affairs Canada could not confirm Bantleman was in the hands of Indonesian authorities, for privacy reasons.

Bantleman’s brother said Neil was stunned by the news. “This has come completely out of left field,” Guy said. “He’s devastated.”

Bantleman had to surrender his passport during the appeals process, and he didn’t want to flee Indonesia illegally in part because he wants to clear his name, Guy said.

“The thought of him leaving when he’s not truly allowed to leave, I think it would have raised questions with people, and he wants to make sure that’s not an issue going forward.”

The court also ordered both Bantleman and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinant Tjiong serve 11 years in prison instead of the original 10 they received in April 2015 after being convicted of sexually abusing three kindergarteners at a prestigious international school in Jakarta.

Bantleman and Tjiong have always maintained their innocence.

An Indonesian high court acquitted them of the charges last August.

Supreme Court spokesman Suhadi, who uses a single name, said a three-member judge panel handed down its verdict on Wednesday based on the prosecutors’ appeal of that acquittal, the Associated Press reported.

“The judge panel concluded that the defendants were proven to have violated the 2007 Child Protection Law,” said Suhadi.

The pair were also ordered to pay a $7,440 fine each or serve six more months in jail.

Steve Druggan, deputy head of the Jakarta Intercultural School, said he was surprised the panel rendered its verdict after only two days’ deliberation.

“We are deeply saddened, and as a school we continue to support the innocent men who are fighting for their innocence,” he told the Star from Jakarta.

Under Indonesian law, both Bantleman and Tjiong can still challenge the sentence by filing for judicial review by the Supreme Court if they have new evidence.

Bantleman’s brother told the Star that Neil’s legal team will start the judicial review process.

“Our concern is that we can’t rely on that solely,” Guy said. “We’ve got to look at diplomatic means, and look at other legal means to get him removed.”

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Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion said the Canadian government “is deeply dismayed and shocked” by the Indonesian Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the acquittal.

In a statement, he called the verdict “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.”

He said Bantleman and Tjiong “were not provided the opportunity to demonstrate their innocence, and despite Canada’s repeated calls for due process, he added, “this case was not handled in a fair and transparent manner.”

Canada will continue to raise Bantleman’s case at the highest levels while Canadian officials provide him with consular assistance, he said.

U.S. Ambassador Robert O. Blake also expressed disappointment with the court’s decision and said it will affect international views of the rule of law in Indonesia.

“We are shocked and disappointed by the decision announced by the Supreme Court to sentence two international school teachers,” Blake said in a statement. “It is not clear what evidence the Supreme Court used to overturn the high court’s decision.”

Chandra Saptaji, head of the general crime section at the South Jakarta Prosecutors’ Office, said Tjiong was taken from his house early in the day and was now serving his sentence at the Cipinang Prison in eastern Jakarta.

Bantleman and Tjiong worked at the Jakarta International School, which is now called the Jakarta Intercultural School.

Children of foreign diplomats, expatriates and Indonesia’s elite attend the school, which has 2,400 students aged 3 to 18 from about 60 countries. The school’s principal and a number of other teachers have said they believe Bantleman is innocent.

Last December, five janitors at the school who were arrested in the same case were sentenced to up to eight years in jail. Police said a sixth suspect in that group committed suicide.

— with files from The Associated Press

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