Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner and child recovery agent Adam Whittington have been charged with kidnapping her two children in Lebanon, in a botched operation that the Nine Network's 60 Minutes crew financed and attempted to film.

The Nine crew have been charged with the lesser misdemeanour of failing to inform the authorities of a criminal act, which is likely to end in the network being fined.

Adam Whittington's lawyer Joe Karam told Fairfax Media the judge had dropped the more serious charge relating to criminal gangs and formally indicted Whittington, his accomplice Craig Michael and a local Lebanese fixer who helped carry out the operation with kidnapping. A second Lebanese fixer was charged with assault.

Mr Karam told Fairfax Media he would be appealing the kidnapping charges on behalf of his clients.