NACC asked to probe Ben Roberts-smith arrest leak
Chris Moraitis said the Office of the Special Investigator and the Australian federal police asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission to look into leaks about ben roberts-smith’s arrest after journalists appeared to know about it beforehand. The director-general told Senate estimates on Tuesday night that the request followed concern about possible unauthorised disclosures surrounding the 7 April arrest at Sydney airport.
Roberts-Smith faces five charges of war crime murder. The charges allege he killed unarmed civilians during his service with the Australian SAS in Afghanistan, and he has said, “I categorically deny all of these allegations”.
Moraitis at Senate estimates
Moraitis said he was surprised journalists had prior knowledge of the arrest and told Liberal senator Dave Sharma, “It’s a matter that concerns me. The media seem to have been privy to things, and therefore we’re taking steps to ascertain what happened there.” He also answered, “Good question.” when asked how the media found out about the pending arrest ahead of time.
He said, “It surprised me that that would happen, because we’ve usually been pretty good on keeping a low profile.” He added, “because we saw media on the morning, around various places,” referring to what the AFP and his office saw on the day Roberts-Smith was taken into custody.
AFP and NACC request
Moraitis said, “I can say that the AFP and I have written to the Nacc about this, asking them to consider and to provide information about that … we believe there’s been an unauthorised disclosure.” He said the National Anti-Corruption Commission had not yet responded to the request.
The federal police distributed video of the 47-year-old being taken from a plane on the tarmac by officers. The arrest and the release of that footage prompted political debate in recent weeks, and the disclosure complaint now shifts attention to how sensitive police operations were handled before the arrest became public.
Rowland office notice
Moraitis said his office informed the office of the attorney general, Michelle Rowland, that the arrest would take place that day. He said no operational details, including the location, were disclosed to her office ahead of time.
For Roberts-Smith, the immediate issue is now the five charges and the process around them. For the agencies involved, the leak referral puts the handling of the arrest itself under review, not just the allegations behind it.
