Namal Rajapaksa named as suspect in Airbus deal case

Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa has been named as a suspect in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) named Rajapaksa as a suspect through a motion filed before the Fort Magistrate’s Court on the instructions of the Attorney General.

Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, informed the court of the development.

Rajapaksa is currently in remand custody after being arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on September 4, 2026 over a separate allegation that he accepted Rs. 100 million as a bribe in connection with the SriLankan Airlines Airbus transaction.

Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena today (September 14) ordered that Rajapaksa be produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court on September 16, 2026, in connection with the money laundering case.

In the CIABOC investigation, Rajapaksa was arrested after providing statements for nearly five hours and was later produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama, who ordered him to be remanded until September 18.

That investigation relates to alleged bribes connected to the acquisition of a wide-body Airbus aircraft fleet for SriLankan Airlines.

According to allegations presented in that case, EUR 1,454,651.24 in alleged bribe money was received into an account maintained under the name BIZ Solutions INC at Standard Chartered Bank.

Of that amount, USD 800,000 was allegedly transferred to an OCBC Bank account in Singapore maintained under the name Sabre Vision Holdings LTD, a company owned by a Sri Lankan businessman.

Investigators allege that Rajapaksa later received Rs. 100 million in cash from the businessman on several occasions during 2014 and 2015 in return for an amount equivalent to the USD 800,000.

CIABOC has said its investigation is based on a statement given by the businessman, statements obtained from Airbus officials in France, and documents and other information gathered during the inquiry.