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Lebanon court names 60 Mins exec producer

Judge says exec producer was ultimately responsible for kidnapping fiasco, planned by Adam Whittington with facilitation by Nine.

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A Lebanese judge has named 60 Minutes executive producer Kirsty Thomson as having primary responsibility for the Beirut child snatching fiasco, according to a report today.

News Corp reports that documents from the case in Beirut state that Nine had paid for the operation by Adam Whittington’s Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI) at Thomson’s request.

“The Australian television was the one that funded the operation, through the sole call of Kirsty [Thompson],’’ a translated excerpt from one document states.

Prosecuting judge Rami Abdullah also found mother Sally Faulkner was critical to the entire operation and that she collaborated with Nine and Whittington.

He found Whittington planned the operation and the others executed it with the facilitation of Channel Nine. He said the TV crew knew of the kidnap operation and that cameraman Ben Williamson had documented the operation, but he reduced their charges to a misdemeanour because they were acting under instruction from their bosses.

Despite escaping a serious charge, the 60 Minutes crew may still find themselves before Lebanon’s criminal justice system after a last-minute addition to the indictment by the Mount Lebanon chief prosecutor Claude Karam.

The case now moves to the indictment chamber, before heading to the criminal court.

A spokeswoman from Nine 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.”

5 Responses

  1. The farther should of been charged for stealing the children from Australia. As they where born in Australia.Where’s the justice for the mother. 60 minutes should not of given the farther any money. Where’s the Australian law. They should of stepped in. The mother and 60 minutes should not be liable for what they have done. It’s not fair by the law. The Law stinks.

    1. Even if that’s your view the actions of 60 Minutes have now put the father in full control of whether they’ll see their mother again.

      Just a shame 60 Minutes and 9 got off so lightly – any chance they could face further action in Australia, if not criminally at least by the regulator?

  2. “Kids unjustly taken by their father”. Not quite. Their father had a Court Order issued by a Lebanon court. Ms Faulkner sought orders in the Family Court after her estranged partner, Ali Elamine, failed to return children to Australia from a holiday to Lebanon in May 2015. Family Court confirmed “that parenting orders were made in December 2015 on the application of the mother outlining arrangements for the children in this matter. These orders were made after the children were in the physical care of the father”.
    Yes, agree. Nine was arrogantly responsible for this whole fiasco.

  3. Maybe I’m missing something… But from anyway you look at it… They have paid to have a crime committed. All for the sake of ratings… Colour it anyway you want… Kids unjustly taken by their father.. Or whatever, 9 really had no right to pay a third party to commit a crime anywhere.. Just so they could film it anywhere. I think ms Browns reputation is totally shot now.

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