A Lebanese judge has reportedly urged Sally Faulkner, the Australian woman charged with kidnapping her children, to reach an agreement with her estranged husband over custody.
But it is unclear whether the others accused in the case, including a British former detective and the Australian Channel Nine journalist Tara Brown, would benefit from such a deal, with judge Rami Abdullah saying: “There is no way the charges will dropped.”
Faulkner faced court for a second day on Wednesday after she and 10 others were arrested in Beirut last week following a botched “child retrieval operation”.
The Brisbane woman allegedly hired a British-led team to snatch her children – Lahela, six, and Noah, four – from their Lebanese father, who had taken them to the country last May and not returned. The Channel Nine crew and Brown were in Lebanon to report the story.
The father, Al al-Amin, was reportedly in the court on Wednesday as Abdullah ordered the pair to reach an agreement that could lead to Faulkner’s release, according to the ABC.
Faulkner’s lawyer, Ghassan Moghabghab, reportedly said the children were likely to remain in their father’s custody in Lebanon under any deal.
The prospects for the other accused looked worse, with Abdullah telling media on Wednesday there was “no way the charges will be dropped”.
“There was a violation of the Lebanese authority by all these people,” he said. “It’s a crime.”
Brown, who appeared in court with her crew – Benjamin Williamson, David Ballment and Stephen Rice – told News Corp the group were being treated well in pre-trial detention.
“Quite genuinely we are being treated well by the standards here,” she said. “It’s fine; it’s not crowded.”
A Nine Network spokeswoman said it was a relief to know its staff were receiving good treatment.
“It is reassuring and comforting to know they are being treated well and are in good health,” she said.
The network was working with a Lebanese legal team and the Australian embassy in Lebanon to “get the team home as soon as possible”, she said.
On Wednesday the Lebanese foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, met Australia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Glenn Miles, and said a joint committee was being formed to resolve the custody of the children.
“Australians should respect Lebanese laws and the Lebanese should respect Australian laws,” Bassil said after the meeting.
He hoped the incident “would not have an impact on Lebanese-Australian relations”.
The case has been adjourned until Monday.
