Namal Rajapaksa further remanded until October 27 in Airbus bribery case

Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa was further remanded until October 27, 2026, by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today (October 13) over an alleged Rs. 100 million bribe linked to the Airbus aircraft procurement deal involving SriLankan Airlines.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama issued the order after rejecting a bail request made by Rajapaksa’s lawyers, ruling that no special circumstances had been presented to justify his release.

President’s Counsel Shavindra Fernando, appearing on behalf of Rajapaksa, informed the court that the prosecution had stated that the case would be heard before a three-judge High Court bench and would no longer be taken up before the Magistrate’s Court.

He requested the court to consider this a special circumstance and grant bail to his client.

The President’s Counsel also informed the court that Rajapaksa’s father, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of a private hospital, while his mother, former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, was receiving treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo and was scheduled to undergo surgery.

He requested the court to consider these family circumstances, pointing out that Rajapaksa was the eldest son.

However, after considering the submissions, the Chief Magistrate ruled that sufficient grounds had not been presented to grant bail.

The court also ordered the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to take immediate steps to file indictments against Rajapaksa and report the matter to the court.

Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, informed the court that investigations conducted under the Bribery Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the Airbus deal had been completed.

He said the relevant investigation files had been forwarded to the Attorney General and that steps were being taken to file a joint indictment based on investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Bribery Commission.

Bandara further informed the court that a request would be made to the Chief Justice to have the suspects tried before a Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar, consisting of three judges.

He stated that the request would be submitted either today (October 13) or tomorrow (October 14).

If the request is approved and the case is transferred, the matter would be heard before the High Court instead of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.

Meanwhile, the court was also informed that BIZ Solutions Inc. would be named as the fifth suspect in the case.

Rajapaksa was arrested by the Bribery Commission on September 4, 2026, in connection with the alleged bribery case.

The case was postponed until October 27, 2026.