Ben Roberts-Smith was making plans to move overseas in the days before his arrest, with newly released court documents revealing he had explored relocating to three separate countries.
Suppression orders were lifted at the Supreme Court on Thursday, releasing two bundles of highly sensitive documents containing intelligence from the Office of the Special Investigator.
The documents show the Office of the Special Investigator claims Roberts-Smith had looked to move to Spain, the United States and Singapore in recent times. He had tickets to leave for Singapore two weeks ago with his partner Sarah Matulin.
The documents claim he had also researched Spain as a potential base to launch a health and wellness company.
Roberts-Smith had also been to Thailand looking for advice on business opportunities with Gordon Chuck, who 7NEWS believes is the father of Ben Chuck, a commando tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2010.
Australian Federal Police allege the three locations were possible means to hide where he was eventually going to end up. Police even called on the help of the FBI at one stage to track Roberts-Smith’s movements in the US.
However, Roberts-Smith has always denied this, saying he had revealed all his travel plans and movements with police throughout every step of the investigation, including these latest plans.
The documents also reveal Roberts-Smith and Matulin are current members of the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge, the exclusive invitation-only club for Australia’s elite, from politicians to judges. 7NEWS understands the veteran’s Victoria Cross is likely to have earned him that privilege.
Also in the bundle is an affidavit from Matulin’s 62-year-old father Brian, who describes himself as Roberts-Smith’s father-in-law. 7NEWS understands from family sources that the couple are definitely not married.
