Namal Rajapaksa arrested over Airbus deal

Glocal
By Editor_1
Opposition parliamentarian and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna National Organizer Namal Rajapaksa, was arrested by Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Friday (September 4, 2026) after several hours of questioning regarding the controversial 2013 Airbus transaction --Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP/File

COLOMBO – Sri Lankan anti-graft authorities on Friday (4) arrested lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, the son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, accusing him of receiving $800 000 linked to a 2013 Airbus deal.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama ordered the 40-year-old scion of the once-powerful Rajapaksa family to be held for two weeks pending further investigations.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested Rajapaksa after questioning him for five hours over the $2.3 billion Airbus transaction and took him to court.

The CIABOC told the court that Rajapaksa had received $800 000, part of the money allegedly paid by the European aircraft manufacturer to Sri Lankan politicians and officials to secure the deal.

A Sri Lankan businessman had arranged the transfer of cash to Rajapaksa via two Singapore bank accounts, the court was told.

Rajapaksa’s lawyer Nishantha Dayananda sought bail, but it was denied.

CIABOC had questioned the former president himself in May over allegations that he, too, had received kickbacks from the aircraft purchase, which was cancelled by a new government in 2016.

The anti-graft probe centres on claims that the European manufacturer channelled part of the money from the purchase to senior Sri Lankan officials and politicians.

The Rajapaksa family has denied allegations that they received bribes and dismissed corruption claims against them as politically motivated.

Former SriLankan Airlines chief executive Kapila Chandrasena told investigators in March that he had handed nearly half a million dollars in kickbacks to the senior Rajapaksa.

Chandrasena was found dead at a relative’s home on May 8, shortly before he was due to be rearrested. The cause of death has not been established, though police initially described it as a suspected suicide.

A joint investigation by US, British and French authorities previously found Airbus had agreed to pay about $16 million in bribes in Sri Lanka, with $1.7 million routed to Chandrasena before the scandal was uncovered.

The payments were linked to the purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft, which required cabinet approval during Rajapaksa’s presidency from 2005 to 2015.

According to submissions made in court, Chandrasena initially told investigators he had paid Rajapaksa 60 million rupees ($461 000 at the time) in three instalments in 2013.

He later retracted the statement, claiming it had been made under pressure.

SriLankan Airlines has accumulated losses estimated at nearly $2 billion, and repeated attempts to privatize the debt-laden flag carrier have failed.

Speaking to journalists before entering the Commission, Namal Rajapaksa questioned the independence of the police and judiciary and accused the government of using law enforcement agencies to pursue a political agenda.

“The unfortunate situation has arisen where the people of the country are questioning the independence of the police and the judiciary,” he said, adding that he believed the police were acting in accordance with the government’s political agenda.

Rajapaksa also said the National People’s Power (NPP) government would not determine his political future and that he would face the challenges before him.

“I will face challenges in the best possible way,” he said, challenging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s repeated statements that the law should apply equally to everyone and that no individual should receive preferential treatment.

“If that is the case, the President should take appropriate legal action against his secretary for illegally releasing containers,” Rajapaksa said, referring to an allegation concerning the release of containers.

Rajapaksa also criticized what he described as threats from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), saying he would not bow to such pressure.

The government has repeatedly said that investigations and legal proceedings involving former and current political figures are being conducted independently and in accordance with the law.

-Agency/ENCL

Editor_1
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