A Lebanese father in the middle of a high-profile, global custody battle says his two children have been reunited with their Australian mother.
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An Australian mother and a television crew charged with the alleged kidnapping of two children in Lebanon have been released from prison and are on their way to the airport to leave the country, the TV crew’s website is reporting.
Faulkner’s lawyer Ghassan Mughabghab said a deal had been struck with Amin granting him full custody of the children in line with Lebanese law.
Sally Faulkner has told of the moment she said her last goodbyes to her two children in Beirut when her five-year-old daughter gave her a Barbie ring “so you don’t forget me”.
Ms Faulkner says her estranged husband moved the children to Lebanon from Australia a year ago without her permission – something he denies.
The Lebanese judiciary retains the right to press public charges against the Faulkner and the TV crew, in which case they would have to return to Lebanon to stand trial.
Paperwork suggesting the Nine Network paid almost $70,000 to the team now in a Lebanese jail facing child kidnap charges have emerged as the 60 Minutes crew and mother involved make their way home to Australia.
But she arrives back in Brisbane on Saturday without them, knowing it will be a long time before she sees them again after the botched child recovery effort involving a 60 Minutes crew.
They could still face further charges though they have returned to Australia.
“60 Minutes host Michael Usher said there was an internal review underway at the network regarding “editorial approval” of the story and the actions of the news crew in Beirut”.
Her ex-husband had reportedly brought the children to Beirut in May 2015 and refused to send them back to her in Brisbane, following which she undertook the child recovery plan with the help of the Australian journalists, Whittington and others.
Ms Faulkner and the television crew, including presenter Tara Brown, were released on bail and returned to Australia on Thursday night.
The children’s Lebanese father, Ali al-Amin, said his estranged wife, Sally Faulkner, saw her children, aged 3 and 5, in his company.
Channel Nine will air another segment on Sally Faulkner and the Beirut child snatch operation but the content has yet to be determined, a spokeswoman has confirmed.
Nine has declined to comment on reports it hired and paid professional kidnappers on Ms Faulkner’s behalf, or paid Mr Elamine compensation as part of the release deal brokered on Wednesday.
The charges against the Child Abduction Recovery International team members have not been dropped.
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She said Ms Faulkner only made contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the first time this was done was on November 21, the same month Ms Faulkner started her petition. “If she is not here, she can Skype them and whenever she feels the need or wants to come over”.
