MP Namal Rajapaksa, who arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to provide a statement regarding the ongoing investigation into the controversial Airbus deal, has now left.
The parliamentarian arrived at the CID premises today (26) at approximately 9:00 AM and provided a statement for over five hours.
The investigation pertains to allegations of financial misconduct involving Airbus and SriLankan Airlines during the airline’s acquisition of six Airbus A-330 and eight A-350 aircraft in 2013. These allegations surfaced through documents submitted in a foreign court case concerning Airbus.
According to these documents, Airbus had allegedly paid a bribe to Ms. Neomali Wijenayake, the wife of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, before finalizing the aircraft purchase. Reports indicate that Airbus had discussed a bribe amounting to USD 16 million for Chandrasena’s wife, with at least USD 2 million transferred to a company established in Brunei.
In response to these findings, the CID launched an investigation into the transaction, leading to the arrest of Kapila Chandrasena and Neomali Wijenayake on February 6, 2020. They were subsequently produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court and remanded. However, they were later released on bail as legal proceedings continued.
Against this backdrop, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna National Organizer, MP Namal Rajapaksa, was summoned to the CID today to provide a statement regarding the controversial Airbus deal.
