Update - Namal remanded for two weeks

5.45 pm 

The Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court has decided to remand Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in connection with the massive financial agreement for the purchase of wide-body aircraft for SriLankan Airlines and related bribery allegations, until September 18. After the MP was arrested following his appearance before the commission and presented to the court, the bail application made by his lawyers was rejected, and accordingly, he was taken to prison.

The MP had been informed to appear before the Bribery Commission today at 9.00 AM to record a statement related to this investigation. Rejecting the request for another date, the Bribery Commission sent an official letter via WhatsApp message, instructing him to appear at the scheduled time. Accordingly, his client appeared before the commission, confirmed lawyer Muditha R. Lokumudali. The MP, who was arrested around 2.30 PM, was brought to the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court around 5.46 PM.

This investigation is based on the transaction in 2013 to purchase 06 A-330 type aircraft and 08 A-350-900 type aircraft for SriLankan Airlines. British city fraud investigations had revealed that the British Airbus company had paid millions of dollars in bribes to high-ranking Sri Lankan dignitaries and businessmen in the said transaction. In this process, former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Mr. Kapila Chandrasena, and his wife were also summoned before the court regarding the receipt of a USD 02 million bribe.

Subsequently, due to the actions taken by the government that came to power in 2015 regarding this agreement, the airline and the government had to pay a large compensation amount of billions of rupees. Previously, former CEO Kapila Chandrasena, who revealed facts about money laundering and this bribery incident, committed suicide a few months after disclosing information about the bribe money related to Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa. A delegation from the French parent company Airbus visited the island in early August to assist with investigations into this transaction and had also given statements to the Bribery Commission.