The Attorney General’s (AG) Department has taken steps to name Opposition Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa as a suspect in a money laundering investigation into alleged financial irregularities surrounding the procurement of Airbus aircraft by SriLankan Airlines.

The move comes as authorities continue investigations into alleged financial irregularities linked to the National Carrier’s Airbus procurement process.

Meanwhile, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court has directed the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to submit a progress report on the investigation by 13 October.

The order was issued when the case was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama. During the proceedings, CIABOC submitted a report outlining the progress of its investigation and requested a further date to continue reporting on the probe.

The first accused in the case, former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena, recently died under mysterious circumstances.

The Court had previously issued warrants for the arrest of the second suspect, Chandrasena’s wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, and the third suspect, Shamindra Rajapaksa, a former Board member of SriLankan Airlines and son of former Minister Chamal Rajapaksa.

After considering the submissions, the Chief Magistrate fixed the next hearing for 13 October and directed CIABOC to present a comprehensive update on the progress of the investigation on that date.