Four members of a 60 Minutes crew will be formally charged with kidnapping-related offences in Lebanon today.
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Australia respects Lebanon’s right to prosecute an Australian television crew facing charges after being caught up in a mother’s bungled child-snatching attempt in Lebanon, Australia’s prime minister said Wednesday.
It is understood that all the people involved face charges of hiding information, forming a criminal gang, kidnapping or holding a minor and physical assault, which can attract sentences of up to 20 years.
Lebanese authorities have claimed they have uncorroborated evidence Nine paid for the failed child abduction. The incident has raised discussions among local Australian journalists about the ethics of the television crew, if indeed they did pay the child recovery team, for writing a cheque for “another juicy exclusive”, which has become a diplomatic incident.
Judge Abdullah also advised it would have a positive outcome on the entire process for everyone involved.
Earlier, Ms Faulkner, wearing an urban military style shirt and thongs, was brought in.
‘These are all charges that will be strenuously denied by the 60 Minutes crew, ‘ Nine reporter Tom Steinfort said.
The Nine news director, Darren Wick, flew to Beirut over the weekend to work with a Lebanese legal team and has reported that the crew are in good health and being well looked after.
Faulkner and the crew, along with two Britons and two Lebanese nationals, were preliminarily charged on Tuesday and are facing further questioning.
Whittington, Faulkner and five others, including a journalist from the Australian current affairs programme 60 Minutes, were arrested by Lebanese authorities after the alleged abduction. She declined to say whether the network had ever been in negotiations with Mr Chapman. He did say that according to Lebanese law, the children’s father, Ali al-Amin, has custody of the children, aged 3 and 5, following a ruling issued months ago.
Ms Faulkner and the 60 Minutes team were first questioned by a Lebanese investigating judge, who could downgrade the child abduction charges preferred by a prosecutor, on Tuesday.
“Lebanese law is different from Australian law, it’s based on the French system, so there is this investigative stage”.
On Wednesday last week an operation was carried out with the aid of an worldwide child recovery agency; the children were snatched from a busy street in Beirut while they walked with their paternal grandmother.
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Ms. Faulkner attempted to use legal means to regain custody, repeatedly asking Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to intervene in recovering the children. A vehicle then speeds away as one of the women falls to the ground and the other briefly gives chase on foot before walking back to aid the fallen woman.
