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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-Smithcriticised Australia’s military leadership in News Corporation tabloidson 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 byThe Age,theHerald and60 Minutes recently revealed that Mr Roberts-Smith had allegedlydug 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 buriedinclude 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 ofthe desecration of the corpse of a dead Afghan in 2012.

The AFP has also uncovered the existence ofat least five “burner” phones that the Victoria Cross recipient arranged to be purchased in 2018,according to records sighted byThe 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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