Seven Network paying legal costs for key witness in Ben Roberts-Smith defamation defence, court hears

The network, owned by billionaire Kerry Stokes, has clarified the fees are being reimbursed by another arm of the media mogul's empire

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A former SAS soldier who is a witness in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial has told the federal court his legal fees are being paid by the Seven Network.

The retired soldier, who has been anonymised as Person 5, also revealed under questioning from the Roberts-Smith team on Thursday that he learned the Seven Network was footing the bill for his solicitors' and barristers' fees on Tuesday.