Former CEO SriLankan Airlines(SLA) Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayaka who were arrested and remanded over the Airbus -SriLankan bribery were granted bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today.
Chandrasena and his wife surrendered to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on the 6th of February, following an arrest warrant issued by court on 3rd February.
The CID obtained an arrest warrant on the orders of the Attorney General (AG).
International media reports revealed that SLA had been a part of Airbus’s massive scheme to offer and pay bribes to secure deals in many countries.
Investigators revealed that between 1 July 2011 and 1 June 2015, Airbus failed to prevent persons associated with it from bribing others concerned with the purchase of aircraft by SLA from Airbus, namely directors and/or employees of SLA.
Reports said that Airbus employees have offered up to $ 16.84 million to a company registered under a wife of a SriLankan Executive to influence SLA’s purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft and the lease of an additional four aircraft.
A sum of $ 2 million had already been deposited by Airbus to the account of the said company in Brunei.
