Namal Rajapaksa further remanded until September 29
COLOMBO – Lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, the son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, arrested on September 4 in connection with an investigation into an alleged Rs 100 million bribe linked to the procurement of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines, was further remanded until September 29, 2026, by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court on Friday (18).
Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama issued the order after Rajapaksa was produced before the court by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). The court is also expected to deliver its ruling on his bail application on September 29.
CIABOC has alleged that US$800,000, forming part of an alleged payment equivalent to approximately Rs 100 million, was channelled through bank accounts in Singapore and subsequently paid to Rajapaksa on several occasions during 2014 and 2015. Investigators say the case is supported by statements from a Sri Lankan businessman, information provided by Airbus officials in France, documentary evidence and other material gathered during the investigation.
The proceedings are part of a wider investigation into alleged financial irregularities surrounding the controversial 2013 SriLankan Airlines Airbus procurement, which involved plans to acquire wide-body aircraft.
Namal, the 40-year-old scion of the once-powerful Rajapaksa family and National Organizer of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has denied wrongdoing.
Separately, the Attorney General’s Department has also taken steps to name Rajapaksa as a suspect in a separate money laundering investigation relating to alleged financial irregularities in the aircraft procurement process. He was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on September 16 in that case and was ordered to remain in remand custody until September 23.
The wider investigation has also involved former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena and his wife, Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake. Chandrasena, who had been implicated in the alleged aircraft procurement bribery case, was found dead on May 8, 2026, shortly after a court issued a fresh warrant for his arrest. Police informed the court that his death was being treated as suspicious and that investigations were underway.
An arrest warrant remains in force for Wijenayake, while Shamindra Rajapaksa, a former SriLankan Airlines board member, has also been named as a suspect in proceedings relating to the Airbus transaction, according to previous court reports.
Meanwhile, the Colombo Chief Magistrate has directed CIABOC to submit a comprehensive progress report on its investigation by October 13, 2026, as investigators continue to examine the alleged financial transactions.
–ENCL
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