Ben Roberts-Smith has stood down from his role as general manager of media company 7Queensland and Seven Brisbane to focus on his upcoming defamation trial.
Mr Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated former soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports he allegedly committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, and that he also allegedly punched his mistress in the face in Canberra in 2018.
Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith.Credit:Getty Images
Mr Roberts-Smith denies the allegations and says the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a criminal. The media will defend the claim using a truth defence at a trial to start on June 7.
Seven West Media chief James Warburton announced the decision in an email to staff on Monday morning, stating Mr Roberts-Smith would be focused on his “upcoming legal matters”.
“Ben’s leave will start today. Ben and I believe this mutual decision is best for both him and our company,” Mr Warburton said. “We expect Ben to return to his role upon the completion of his defamation proceedings.”
Mr Warburton said Mr Roberts-Smith would be unlikely to return to work before August, as the trial is expected to run for eight weeks.
Seven West Media is majority owned by Seven Group Holdings, which is controlled by media mogul Kerry Stokes’ private investment vehicle. Mr Stokes is the chairman of Seven and his son, Ryan Stokes, sits on the board as a director.
Mr Roberts-Smith criticised Australia’s military leadership in News Corporation tabloids on Monday, calling the Australian Defence Force’s treatment of returned veterans “disgusting”.
He also called the military’s psychological screening a “farce”, stating the country’s top brass had not done enough to protect returned servicemen and servicewomen from mental health issues.
Mr Roberts-Smith joined Seven in 2014 after he was discharged from the army having earned a Victoria Cross, Medal of Gallantry and Commendation for Distinguished Service as a special forces soldier in Afghanistan.
A joint investigation by The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes recently revealed that Mr Roberts-Smith had allegedly dug a hole in the backyard of his Queensland house and buried USB drives inside a lunchbox, hiding them from both police and military investigations.
The files buried include 13 videos of drone vision taken by the NATO military forces in Afghanistan, copies of classified operational reports from an SAS mission in southern Afghanistan and an image of the desecration of the corpse of a dead Afghan in 2012.
The AFP has also uncovered the existence of at least five “burner” phones that the Victoria Cross recipient arranged to be purchased in 2018, according to records sighted by The Age and Herald.
Seven is standing by Mr Roberts-Smith and has claimed allegations made about its senior executive are “baseless”.
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Ashleigh McMillan is a breaking news reporter at The Age. Got a story? Email me at a.mcmillan@theage.com.au
Zoe Samios is a media and telecommunications reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Adam Cooper joined The Age in 2011 after a decade with AAP. Email or tweet Adam with your news tips.
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2021-04-26 02:06:51Z
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