· Tells Court Rs. 60 m allegedly handed to MR
· Claims further Rs. 20m paid to Priyankara Jayaratne
· Funds linked to account of Shamindra Rajapaksa
· Chandrasena alleges statement was forced under threats
A political earthquake erupted yesterday (19) as the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) told the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that millions in alleged bribe money from the controversial 2013 Airbus deal were personally handed over to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne.
In explosive submissions, the Commission revealed that former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena had allegedly delivered Rs. 60 million to Rajapaksa in three separate installments of Rs. 20 million each, at his Beliatta and Carlton residences, following a request made in 2015. A further Rs. 20 million was allegedly paid to Jayaratne, according to court filings.
CIABOC also disclosed that investigations have uncovered financial trails linking the alleged bribe funds to an account belonging to Shamindra Rajapaksa, a former SriLankan Airlines Board member and son of ex-Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, widening the scope of the scandal into the highest echelons of political power.
However, the case has taken a dramatic twist.
Chandrasena, through his lawyers, has now released an affidavit claiming that his earlier statement to CIABOC was extracted under intimidation. In the sworn statement dated 18 March, he alleges that he was removed from the recording room during questioning and threatened by officials, including the Commission’s Director General. He claims he was warned of imminent arrest and pressured to name former President Rajapaksa, Opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa, and members of his family.
He further alleges that he was denied access to legal counsel while the statement was being recorded and insists that references to the Rajapaksa family were made under fear and do not reflect his voluntary testimony.
Despite the controversy, the Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama yesterday ordered that Chandrasena be further remanded until 2 April, following submissions by both CIABOC officials and the defence.
Chandrasena was arrested on 12 March over allegations that he solicited and accepted a bribe of US$ 2 million linked to the Airbus deal. Prosecutors allege that he was part of a wider conspiracy involving a staggering US$ 16 million in kickbacks, with €1.45 million already traced to a Singapore bank account.
Investigators further claim that Chandrasena had set up a shell company in Brunei under his wife’s name to facilitate the movement of funds, which were then channelled into Singapore, pointing to a complex international money trail tied to the multi-billion-dollar aircraft purchase.
The 2013 deal, which saw SriLankan Airlines agree to purchase 10 Airbus aircraft for approximately US$ 2.3 billion, has long been mired in controversy. But the latest revelations, placing alleged cash payments directly in the hands of top political figures, mark the most serious escalation yet in the long-running probe.
With claims of high-level bribery now colliding with allegations of coercion and abuse of power by investigators, the case is rapidly evolving into one of the most explosive corruption battles in recent memory.