A Burlington teacher who has been jailed in Indonesia for three years is a free man.
Neil Bantleman has returned to Canada as a free man, multiple sources have told CTV News.
The Canadian teacher who was convicted of crimes against young boys in Indonesia was brought back to Canada thanks to the work of consular officials in Indonesia, CTV News Channel's Michel Boyer reported.
Bantleman has maintained his innocence ever since he was accused of abusing three children at an international school in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
Bantleman’s brother, Guy Bantleman, told CTV News that he returned to Canada in mid-June after intense negotiations over the last 14 months. He said part of the conditions of his release was that it remain as quiet as possible.
He was originally arrested in 2014, but then released. Indonesia’s Supreme Court overturned that acquittal in 2016, sending Bantleman back to prison.
Global Affairs and the Canadian government won’t comment on the case.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the family in 2017, and also brought up the case with the president of Indonesia at the G20 conference in 2016.