JAKARTA: A Canadian teacher is expected to return to a Jakarta prison today, a family member said, a day after Indonesia's Supreme Court overturned his acquittal on charges of sexually abusing kindergarten children at an international school in the capital.
The case, which critics say was fraught with irregularities, has brought the country's justice system under scrutiny with Western nations raising concerns about legal certainty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
"Along with others, we have made repeated calls to ensure this case is handled in a fair and transparent manner," said British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik in a statement.
"Yesterday's development adds to serious questions about transparency and consistency in the rule of law in Indonesia."
The United States and Canada have also expressed similar concerns.
Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were convicted on charges of abusing kindergarten students at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), where the children of many expatriates, diplomats, and wealthy Indonesians are enrolled.
The two were originally sentenced to 10 years in jail but were acquitted in August, 2015, after nearly a year behind bars, and released. The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that they be re-arrested and increased their sentences to 11 years.
"Neil returned to Jakarta late Thursday evening and is now with the prosecutor. He will likely return to prison on Friday," said his brother, Guy Bantleman.
Tjiong was re-arrested early Thursday.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The case, which critics say was fraught with irregularities, has brought the country's justice system under scrutiny with Western nations raising concerns about legal certainty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
"Along with others, we have made repeated calls to ensure this case is handled in a fair and transparent manner," said British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik in a statement.
The United States and Canada have also expressed similar concerns.
Advertisement
The two were originally sentenced to 10 years in jail but were acquitted in August, 2015, after nearly a year behind bars, and released. The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that they be re-arrested and increased their sentences to 11 years.
Advertisement
Tjiong was re-arrested early Thursday.
© Thomson Reuters 2016
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Indonesia Grants Clemency To Canadian Teacher Convicted Of Sexual Abuse Vietnam Jails Canadian For Sexually Abusing Homeless Boys Bangladesh Imposes Curfew, Deploys Military As 105 Die In Protests "Jindal Group Executive Showed Porn, Groped Me On Flight": Woman To NDTV Over 300 Indian Students Return Home As 105 Bangladeshis Killed In Protests Joe Biden Is The Best Person To Take On Trump, Says His Campaign Wife Among Two Jailed For Life For Man's Murder In Gurugram: Cops 1,100 Flights Cancelled In US As Microsoft Outage Disrupts Operations Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.