The Permanent High Court-at-Bar has granted permission for three prosecution witnesses in the D.A. Rajapaksa Museum case to travel overseas.

The case, which has been filed against seven defendants including former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was taken up for hearing today before High Court Judges Sampath Abeykoon, Sampath Wijeratne and Champa Janaki Rajaratne.

After considering the requests made by the attorneys appearing on behalf of the witnesses, the three-judge bench allowed W.M.A.S. Iddawela and Rohan Seneviratne, who have been named as prosecution witnesses, to travel abroad for official duties.

Suren Bandara, another witness who is scheduled to leave for Australia, was released on two personal bails of Rs 1.5 million each while he was ordered to appear before the court to testify when notified by the court.

The Attorney General had filed the case against the former Defence Secretary and six others over the alleged misappropriation of state funds amounting to Rs 49 million during the construction of the D.A. Rajapaksa Museum and Memorial in Medamulana.

The Land Reclamation and Development Authority’s former Chairman Prasad Harshana de Silva, former Director Board members Badrawathie Udulawathie Kamaladasa, Suddammika Keminda Attygalle, Saman Kumara Abraham Galapaththy, Dewage Mahinda Saliya and Srimathi Mallika Kumari Senadhira area the other defendants in the case.

Earlier this month the court had directed the Registrar to notify 18 prosecution witnesses not to leave the country without prior permission from the court.