Inside the bitter 60 Minutes custody battle

AS the mother struggles with depression inside the Beirut prison, the toddlers’ father has revealed he will drop all charges if she gives him full custody.

LEBANESE husband Ali El-amien is refusing to agree to unrestricted access arrangements for his estranged wife Sally Faulkner because he fears she may do what he has done — and refuse to bring them back.

Five-year-old Lahela and three-year-old Noah are at the centre of the bitter tug of war, but negotiations to settle the custody dispute have been protracted because of ‘’the Australian holiday difficulties’’, News Corp can reveal. Mr El-Amien does not want the children to leave Lebanon, but has agreed to access visits by his wife and will drop the kidnap charges against her if she grants him sole custody. She must also co-operate in getting a full religious divorce.

Ms Faulkner’s Lebanese lawyer Ghassan Moghabghab said Mr El-Amien will get everything he wants because he has the legal rights in Lebanon.

Ali Zeid al-Amine says he will drop all charges against Faulkner if she grants him full custody of Noah and Lahela. Picture: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir.

Ms Faulkner’s husband had obtained authority from religious leaders to have sole care.

“Legally he is the one with custody,’’ Mr Moghahghab told News Corp yesterday.

“He took religious control.

“He is willing for her to see the children at any time.

‘”But he is not willing to allow her to take the children to Australia or elsewhere on holidays. These are Australian holiday difficulties, if she takes the children to Australia who will say she will keep them and not bring them back to Lebanon.’’

Father speaks out about foiled ‘kidnapping’ attempt

News Corp visited Ms Faulkner inside Baabda women’s prison on Thursday and found her stoic and calm amid the turmoil of the dreadful dilemma: to give up all custodial rights in return for a downgrading of the kidnapping charges; or spend a longer time behind bars. But Mr Moghabghab said yesterday her condition was not good and she was now suffering depression.

Mr Moghabghab Ms Faulkner’s legal rights in Australia were totally irrelevant in Lebanon.

He was hopeful that if a deal can be finalised over the weekend it could be registered with the court on Monday and Ms Faulkner could spend a couple of days with her children before flying home to Brisbane.

But the impact of any such custody deal is uncertain in relation to the others facing kidnapping charges.

Sally Faulkner has been detained in Lebanon after attempting to retrieve her children Lahlea and Noah. Picture: Facebook.

Ms Faulkner paid the Child Abduction Recovery International crew to plan and execute the kidnapping, but the money came from a payment given to her by 60 Minutes, her lawyer told the ABC.

But Mr Moghabghab said “I don’t have any idea” if 60 Minutes paid Ms Faulkner intending for it to go towards the operation, or just for her story.

Mr Moghabghab told News Corp he did not want to talk about the payment because it could impact on ongoing negotiations.

OPINION: Children are the real victims of 60 Minutes Lebanon fiasco

Lebanese authorities claimed they had a witness statement from the recovery crew claiming Channel Nine had paid $115,000 for the snatch.

Ms Faulkner was in the car when the recovery crew leader Adam Whittington and other operative snatched the two children from the grandmother as they waited to catch a school bus in southern Beirut.

Ms Faulkner was present to immediately reassure her children and to minimise the shock of the operation.