Kapila reveals the money Mahinda pocketed in the Airbus deal.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption revealed today (19) before the Colombo Magistrate's Court that money obtained as bribes through the Airbus deal by Mr. Kapila Chandrasena, former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, had been given to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne. After Mr. Kapila Chandrasena, who was arrested in connection with the incident, was produced before the court by prison officials today, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S.

Bodaragama ordered the suspect to be further remanded until the 2nd of next month.

Investigating officers informed the court that this financial irregularity was committed during his tenure as the CEO of SriLankan Airlines and the chairman of the procurement committee for the purchase of Airbus aircraft. The suspect, who conspired with his wife and others, established a shell company in Brunei under his wife's name with the aim of obtaining bribe money, and opened an account in a Singaporean bank in connection with it and received money, as stated in the further 'B' report submitted to the court.

According to the statements given by the suspect, he distributed eighty million rupees earned from the said transaction to two VIPs. Accordingly, it was revealed that upon a request made by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015, sixty million rupees, in three installments of twenty million rupees each, were given to him at the Beliatta and Carlton residences. Furthermore, the remaining twenty million rupees were given to former Minister Priyankara Jayaratne, and a portion of the said bribe money was also credited to the account of Shamindra Rajapaksa, a former board member of SriLankan Airlines, the Bribery Commission further pointed out.

Investigating officers requested the court to issue warrants against Priyantha Neomali Wijeratne and Shamindra Rajapaksa, who have been named in connection with this incident, and the Magistrate ordered the case to be recalled on March 24th for the examination of evidence related to that request. Furthermore, the Chief Magistrate further instructed the Bribery Commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all individuals mentioned in the suspect's statement.