Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner has been charged with kidnapping her own children.
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A Lebanese judge has charged Ms Faulkner and former soldier Adam Whittington following a child recovery operation in Lebanon earlier this year, 9news reports.
The 60 Minutes crew, which includes reporter Tara Brown and producer Stephen Rice, have had charges they were facing downgraded to misdemeanours.
“We have been advised tonight by our legal team in Lebanon that the charges our 60 Minutes crew are facing in Lebanon have been downgraded,” a Nine Network spokeswoman said.
“There will still be a trial on a date to be determined and out of respect for the Lebanese legal process we will not be making any further comment while the matter is still before the court.”
Ms Faulkner’s lawyer is hopeful the kidnapping charge will be dismissed on appeal.
Wittington’s lawyer, Joe Karam, said an appeals court now has to approve or overturn the indictment, ABC News reports.
“We are fully confident with the Lebanese criminal justice system that whenever it goes to a trial we will reach to the right appropriate decision, where they consider a kidnapping of a child by his mother is not a kidnapping,” he said.
The 60 Minutes team travelled to Beirut where a team from Child Abduction Recovery international were paid to grab the two children of Ms Faulkner.
On April 7, Faulkner and the 60 Minutes crew were arrested by Lebanese police.
A rumoured $1 million payment to the children’s father Ali Elamine enabled them to be released.
However, Faulkner was also forced to relinquish full custody of her two children.
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