Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa attended a hearing before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (12), to provide a statement regarding the alleged $2 million bribe linked to a 2013 SriLankan Airlines aircraft procurement. 

The summons follows a request from the Bribery Commission, which also notified former Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne.

Rajapaksa’s media spokesman, Manoj Gamage, stated that legal discussions are ongoing and raised concerns about the basis of the summons, which reportedly relies on a confession by the late SriLankan Airlines CEO, Kapila Chandrasena, who had previously claimed the confession was made under duress.