Legal negotiations to secure the release of the Australian at the centre of the 60 Minutes child abduction saga have reached a critical stage, court observers say, with unconfirmed reports a payout to the children's Lebanese father could be the sticking point.
Adam Whittington, the dual Australian-British citizen who heads Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI), British colleague Craig Michael and Lebanese men Khaled Barbour and Mohammed Hamza have been in prison in Beirut since the failed abduction on April 6.
But Whittington's lawyer Joe Karam played down reports the parties were close to reaching an agreement, saying "there are ideas but these are not ongoing negotiations and despite reports in the Australian media, there has been no mention of any amount."
It was reported earlier on Thursday that Whittington's mother Georgina Whittington has called on the Nine Network to pay $US500,000 to the children's father, Ali Elamine, in exchange for her son's release.
Karam provided AAP with documents that further implicate the Nine Network as a key player and financier of the botched child abduction plot.
In an email, dated March 16, 2016, to Whittington from a Nine official whose name has been concealed, the network states: "Our stories are based on our reporter being involved at critical moments and that's how I've been able to get approval here for this story."
The email asks Whittington to "send me an invoice for the final payment of AUD $46,000 as our accounts department needs an invoice to process payments".
Karam has also provided a copy of CARI's invoice.
That is in addition to the electronic funds transfer statement from a Nine bank account of $69,000 to an account associated with CARI.
Along with Faulkner, journalist Tara Brown and her 60 Minutes crew, Whittington and Michael were arrested soon after they snatched Faulkner's two children off a Beirut street in an attempt to "recover" them from Elamine.
Faulkner, Brown, producer Stephen Rice, sound recordist David Ballment and cameraman Ben Williamson spent almost two weeks in prison before Elamine agreed to drop personal charges of kidnap against them in return for what is believed to be a significant payout from Nine.
The network had already paid a large sum for the story of the recovery of Lahela, five, and Noah, three, after Elamine took them for a three-week holiday to Lebanon in May 2015 and then refused to return them to Faulkner in Australia.
Faulkner's lawyer Ghassan Moughabghab accused Elamine of playing games and making demands not included in the original agreement which resulted in Faulkner giving up custody.
"I told the judge he is not allowing Sally to talk to the children by phone or Skype and now he is demanding we bring him their birth certificates and the red books [that record vaccinations and other health indicators]," Moughabghab told AAP.
"He says if we don't bring him these documents, which were not part of the agreement, then he will not allow her to talk to the children."
AAP reached Elamine by phone, but he said he was no longer commenting to the media, while his lawyer was not able to talk.
Judge Rami Abdullah has yet to conclude his investigation into the charges.
Whittington and Michael met with Judge Abdullah on Thursday but there is still yet to be a decision on whether they will be released on bail.
Karam said he is hopeful the question of bail will be resolved on Friday or Monday at the latest.
