LEN - www.lankaenews.com | Airbus Case: No Escape - 24 Charges Filed Against Namal Rajapaksa and Others Before Trial-at-Bar

Airbus Case: No Escape - 24 Charges Filed Against Namal Rajapaksa and Others Before Trial-at-Bar

By Our Court Correspondent

(Lanka-e-News -28 Oct 2026,5.00 A.M.)The Attorney General's Department today informed the Colombo Magistrate's Court that it filed 24 charges for a Permanent Trial-at-Bar in Colombo against Namal Rajapaksa, MP, and other defendants over the Airbus aircraft purchase for SriLankan Airlines.

State's submissions

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing for the Attorney General, told Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama that the case, filed by the Bribery Commission, will be heard by a special three-judge bench appointed by the Chief Justice to try serious financial and economic crimes. More than fifty witnesses have been named. He said the legal process of concluding the investigations and sending the case to the Trial-at-Bar was complete, and he expected today to be the last date on which the case would be called in the Magistrate's Court.

Defence submissions

President's Counsel Shavindra Fernando told the court that a lengthy day-to-day trial is already underway before the Permanent Trial-at-Bar, so the court could take considerable time to take up the new case.

President's Counsel Ali Sabry, citing Article 13 of the Constitution, stressed the importance of protecting a suspect's personal liberty. He submitted that with the Airbus investigations concluded, continued remand of his client was unjustified. He said his client would appear whenever summoned by the High Court, and asked that he be released on bail under suitable conditions.

Order

After considering both sides, the Chief Magistrate ordered that the case be called on a later date. Counsel also informed the court that they would make submissions on the motion in the "Krrish" case in due course.

Custody status

Rajapaksa appeared before the Bribery Commission on September 4, 2026, over an alleged Rs. 100 million bribe, and was arrested after giving a statement for nearly five hours. Bail applications were rejected on several occasions, and his remand was extended. Bail has now been granted in the Airbus case, but he remains in remand over the Krrish case.

Allegations disclosed in investigations

An alleged bribe of €1,454,651.24, paid in 2013, was first credited to the account of "BIZ Solutions Inc." at Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore. Investigators found the company was registered in the name of Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, wife of Kapila Chandrasena, then CEO of SriLankan Airlines.

US$800,000 was then transferred to the account of "Sabre Vision Holdings Ltd." at OCBC Bank, Singapore, linked to businessman Nimal Perera. An affidavit from Perera, who lives in Australia, states that he handed Rs. 100 million of that money to Rajapaksa on several occasions in 2014 and 2015. Rajapaksa's side strongly denies the allegation.

An Airbus email dated March 23, 2013 indicates that Rajapaksa, then the President's son, agreed to have the aircraft purchase proposal taken to the Cabinet through the President.

The CID and the Bribery Commission jointly led the international investigation, using information from France (including Airbus officials), Singapore, Australia, and the United States.