TORONTO -- Prosecutors in Indonesia have filed an appeal of a court decision which cleared a Canadian teacher of child sexual offences in the country, the man's family said Monday.
Neil Bantleman had been serving a ten-year prison sentence when the August ruling resulted in his release, although he remained under a travel ban.
His brother said the latest step in the 45-year-old's legal battle means Bantleman isn't allowed to return to Canada.
"He's a free man yet he can't leave the country," Guy Bantleman told The Canadian Press. "We're disappointed it's going to play out for several more months."
Bantleman, who is from Burlington, Ont., and an Indonesian teaching assistant, Ferdinant Tjiong, were both working at the Jakarta Intercultural School when they were arrested last July following a complaint from the parents of a six-year-old boy who claimed their son had been sodomized.
Police had already arrested five janitors who worked at the school on charges of child sexual assault in relation to the case.
Bantleman and Tjiong, who were charged with sexually abusing three children at the school, underwent a trial that saw conflicting evidence, and were eventually convicted in April.
The men maintained their innocence and appealed to the Jakarta High Court, eventually winning their case in August.
The latest appeal, however, means Bantleman's legal saga isn't over.
The appeal filed by prosecutors to the Supreme Court of Indonesia is expected to take two to six months, Bantleman's brother said, adding that the family will "continue to fight for the truth to fully emerge."
"There's not much we can do except prepare anything the defence can provide," he said.
"We understand that given the profile of the case the prosecutor wants to make sure that they're seen to be doing everything they can do. The most injuring part is we still haven't seen any physical or medical evidence. We don't have any eye witnesses."
Bantleman is frustrated, his brother said.
"He wants this to be over," he said, adding that the family is seeking a public show of support from Ottawa. "I think from a diplomatic point of view the government should be looking into why an innocent Canadian is now again being restricted on leaving the country."
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the government was aware that the prosecution had filed an appeal.
"The Government of Canada has urged Indonesia to handle Mr. Bantleman's case in a fair and transparent manner and will continue to do so," Francois Lasalle said in an email, adding that due to privacy concerns no further details would be released.
An Indonesian lawyer representing Bantleman and his colleague has claimed the sexual abuse claims faced by the men were motivated by money. The principal and a number of other teachers at the school, which is popular with expatriates, have alleged the same.
The mother of one of the children had sued the school for alleged negligence and was seeking $125 million in compensation, but the case was thrown out after a court said it was not proven that any of the alleged abuses had taken place.
New evidence from medical reports from three different hospitals in Jakarta and Singapore showed no major injuries or abnormalities in the three children, the court said.
