Ali Elamine, the father from the child abduction drama spoke to Kyle and Jackie O on Kiis 1065 to tell his side of the story. Courtesy: KIISS FM 1065.

Father in 60 minutes child abduction drama tells KISS 1065 his side of the story

TO the victor go the spoils.

Ali Elamine has posted a new photo on Facebook of himself with his two young children in Beirut.

The picture, which appears to have been taken in one of the city’s shopping malls, shows the smiling dad with his daughter Lahela, 5, and son Noah, 3.

It was uploaded after the children’s Brisbane mum, Sally Faulkner, was forced to return to Australia without her children following a bungled snatch and grab attempt with 60 Minutes.

Faulkner separately posted a picture on Facebook of herself with her daughter in her lap.

Asked by a friend if she saw her children in Beirut, she replied: “Yes I did. It was bittersweet. I have many photos of them with me. I’ll put them up soon”.

But it was Elamine who hit the jackpot when the raid failed, forcing his estranged wife to sign away her custody rights and earning a significant payout from the Nine network in a compensation deal.

He told News Corp the children were in their rightful home and would not be returning to Australia any time soon.

“The custody, the way it happens is I had sole custody in Lebanon way before the custody in Australia came out,” he said after the deal was sealed.

“Our place of residence is Lebanon. This is where our family used to live. So technically we live here.

“They’ll be staying here.”

Asked whether the children would ever go back to Australia, the surf instructor said: “Maybe down the track, when things cool off, we talk a bit more, maybe, why not?

“I mean I wouldn’t mind going surfing there.”

Asked if he had any regrets about not returning his children to their mother after taking them from Australia for a holiday last May, he had none.

“When she went over there and tore up their passport, she wasn’t giving them back,” he said.

“It’s a tit for tat type of thing, which is kind of silly and stupid but at the end of the day we’re here.

“This is where we earn our living. I don’t earn my living in Australia. I didn’t need to be on Centrelink.

“This is where I earn my living. This is where my family needs to be.”