AFP officers visit Senator Lambie's office following allegations of ADF abuse and cover up
Federal police officers have visited Senator Jacqie Lambie's office after she made allegations of abuse was covered up in the elite SAS.
AFP officers entered the Tasmanian senator's office Wednesday afternoon after Ms Lambie made the allegation in the Senate overnight.
BREAKING: AFP visit @JacquiLambie's office over stinging allegations of Army abuse of soldiers. @RobertOvadia #7News pic.twitter.com/2GcNKy1ZeS
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) February 3, 2016
The independent senator launched a blistering attack under parliamentary privilege accusing the Australian Defence Force of abuse cover ups.
Ms Lambie made the claims in the Senate adjournment debate overnight and cited two cases of alleged abuse she claims has been covered up by Defence Force officials.
The accusations, which involve the reported mistreatment of SAS trooper Evan Donaldson and former Army officer Marcus Saltmarsh, include claims of sexual assault.
The two men watched on from the public gallery during Senator Lambie's talk.
She said Mr Donaldson was sexually assaulted during secretive training and when he attempted to take sick leave, he was stripped of his position and his qualifications and his identity was illegally changed on the Commonwealth database.
"During a resistance to interrogation exercise, Evan was bashed, bound, gagged, blindfolded, stripped naked, placed in stress positions, deprived of sleep and food for 96 hours and during that time he was sexually assaulted and left bleeding," she alleged.
In the second case, Senator Lambie said Mr Saltmarsh was sent autopsy photographs of the dead body of his best friend, who he allegedly shot by mistake.
She claims it was an orchestrated move to push the former officer to take his own life.
"The cover up in this matter has been at a very high level, spectacular and absolutely deliberate," she told the chamber while describing Mr Saltmarsh's case.
She has also accused former Chief of Army and Australian of the Year winner David Morrison of helping to spread lies regarding the source of the photographs.
Senator Lambie is encouraging Mr Morrison to step down as Australian of the Year after he was crowed early last week.
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