Former President Faces Bribery Probe: Sri Lanka's Anti-Corruption Drive Tightens

Sri Lanka's anti-graft agency is set to question former President Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding bribery transactions linked to aircraft purchases. Former airline CEO Kapila Chandrasena admitted to bribing Rajapaksa during his presidency. The investigation resurged under new anti-corruption laws as the government aims to uphold public integrity.

In a significant development, Sri Lanka's anti-graft agency will interrogate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa over bribery claims tied to aircraft purchases for the national airline during his term. This emerged from a court proceeding on Tuesday, underscoring the intensifying anti-corruption initiatives in the nation.

The ex-CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, the principal accused, confessed to distributing SLRs 60 million in bribes to Rajapaksa. Notably, Chandrasena claimed these payments totaling LRs 20 million were made in three installments at Rajapaksa's rural residence in 2015.

Chandrasena, who was briefly detained, contested his confession's voluntariness via an affidavit, asserting it was coerced. Meanwhile, the current administration, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, reaffirmed its electoral promise to enhance governance transparency with these rigorous investigations.