Anti-graft agency summons former Lankan President Rajapaksa over a corruption case

Sri Lankas anti-graft agency on Saturday summoned former President Mahinda Rajapaksa over a corruption case involving the SriLankan Airlines, a day after a top official of the national carrier was found dead at his home under suspicious circumstances The Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption CIABOC has summoned Rajapaksa to record a statement over a case involving alleged corruption during the purchase of aircraft for the national carrier SriLankan Airlines.

Sri Lanka's anti-graft agency on Saturday summoned former President Mahinda Rajapaksa over a corruption case involving the SriLankan Airlines, a day after a top official of the national carrier was found dead at his home under suspicious circumstances The Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has summoned Rajapaksa to record a statement over a case involving alleged corruption during the purchase of aircraft for the national carrier SriLankan Airlines. The former president will appear before the Commission on May 12, the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said on Saturday. Former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, was found dead at his home under suspicious circumstances on Friday. Prosecutors on Tuesday told the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court that Chandrasena, the chief accused in the case, admitted to giving LKR 60 million in bribes to former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Chandrasena said Rajapaksa was given LKR 20 million three times at his home in the rural south in 2015 during his presidency. However, his lawyers argued that he had filed an affidavit in the court saying that his statement was recorded under duress. Chandrasena, who was the CEO of the national carrier between 2011 and 2015, allegedly received a kickback from Airbus, and money had been credited to his wife's account. Priyankara Jayarathna, the aviation minister during Rajapaksa's tenure, was also alleged to have received a share of the bribe in the purchase of six Airbus aircraft in 2014 and seven Airbus aircraft in 2017. Both were arrested in 2019 and have been out on bail since. The anti-graft commission revived the case after the new anti-corruption laws were enacted in 2024.