By Middle East correspondent Matt Brown.
The former Australian soldier facing kidnapping charges over a botched child recovery operation for Channel Nine has been denied bail in Lebanon.
Adam Whittington and three other alleged members of his child recovery team involved in the 60 Minutes child abduction scandal were hoping to follow in the footsteps of the TV crew and be released from jail.
But investigating judge Ramy Abdullah denied their application.
The case is now back in the hands of the general prosecutor who must refer it to a trial court, which could take months.
In the meantime the group has been transferred to a prison in Tripoli in Lebanon’s north.
Their lawyers have said the television program hired them to snatch the children of Sally Faulkner and her estranged husband Ali Elamine, off a Beirut street.
The four-member 60 Minutes crew and Ms Faulkner were detained, but the crew returned to Australia after several days in jail.
Ms Faulkner also returned to Brisbane after Mr Elamine struck a deal that saw their charges abandoned.
Friends and family of Mr Whittington rallied outside the Channel Nine studios in Sydney this week, saying they wanted someone from management to talk to them.
Channel Nine declined to meet with the family and friends.
It is understood the station’s review into the editorial approval of the Beirut story and the actions of the crew is still underway.
Several staff and Nine News management have already been interviewed.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
© 2016 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. Read the ABC Disclaimer here.
Top Comments
Channel 9 shares some responsibility for these guys, but the bottom line is they are in the child abduction business, sooner or later they were bound to get caught.
Exactly and some of the men have already been jailed before for this very thing. What about the fact it was these men who hurt the grandmother? I know it was an accident but they're in a business where people could get hurt.
Bottom line is that chanel 9 sought out and paid these people to do a job for them, it is undeniable that chanel 9 also had input and full knowledge of how, when and where that job would take place (given they wished to film it taking place), it is also undeniable that they knew that the job was illegal, so what chanel 9 did was pay armed people to commit a crime on their behalf...this isn't for over them, not by a long shot.
Channel nine should be made to pay costs of keeping these people in Gaol