Gotabhaya Rajapaksa museum case postponed to 11 January

The Special High Court has postponed the case filed by the Attorney General against former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and six others on the misuse of state funds to build a museum until 11 January.

The Attorney General filed charges against seven defendants including former Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, accusing him of misappropriating state funds amounting to Rs. 33.9 million when constructing the DA Rajapaksa Commemorative Museum in Weeraketiya Medamulana, during the last Government regime.

The case was called before the three-judge bench of Justices Sampath Abeykoon (Chairman), Sampath Wijeratne and Champa Janaki Rajaratna.

Attorney-at-Law Ali Sabry, appearing on behalf of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, informed the Court that he had not yet received any documents that had been required for the formation of the Defense in this case from the prosecution.

The Bench ordered the Prosecution to provide the required documents promptly to the Defendant, and ordered to take up the case on 11 January to check whether the documents were properly received.

When the case was taken up today, Rajapaksa was not present at the court, and his lawyer informed the court that his client had gone overseas with permission granted by the court. The lawyer also informed that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will appear before the court at the next court day.

In addition to Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the other respondents in the case are former Land Reclamation and Development Corporation Chairman Prasad Harshana de Silva and members of the Board of Directors Bhadrawati Kamaladasa, Sudhammika Attygalle, Saman Kumara Galappathi, D. Mendis Saliya and Mallika Kumari Senadheera.

The seven accused were charged under Section 5(1) of the Public Property Act and Section 388 of the Penal Code, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Public Property Act.