Namal Rajapaksa further remanded until October 27 in Airbus bribery case

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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 as no special circumstances were presented before the court to justify releasing the suspect on 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.

Additional 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.

The Additional Solicitor General 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).

Accordingly, the court was informed that the case would no longer be heard before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court once the matter was transferred to the High 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.