Namal Rajapaksa remanded until September 23 in Airbus money laundering case
Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa was today (September 16) ordered to remain in remand custody until September 23, 2026, in a money laundering case linked to the SriLankan Airlines Airbus transaction.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena also said the decision on Rajapaksa’s bail application would be delivered on September 23.
The case filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in which Rajapaksa and three others have been named as suspects, was taken up before the Magistrate today. Prison officials brought Rajapaksa to court in a prison bus.
Rajapaksa, who is the National Organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on September 4 after nearly five hours of questioning over an alleged Rs. 100 million bribe linked to the same Airbus transaction.
In that separate case, Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama ordered him to be remanded until September 18, 2026.
Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing for the prosecution, told the court today that extracts of the CID investigation had been sent to the Attorney General’s Department and that steps were being taken to file indictments against the suspects without delay.
He said investigators had recorded a statement from Rajapaksa inside prison on Monday (September 14).
According to Bandara, the investigation concerns alleged bribery linked to the procurement of wide-body aircraft for SriLankan Airlines under an agreement with Airbus.
He explained that the case before the Fort Magistrate’s Court was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the separate proceedings before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court concerned alleged bribery.
Bandara told the court that the Bribery Commission previously lacked powers under the Bribery Act to investigate money laundering offences, but that such powers were available under the new Anti-Corruption Act. He said the CID and CIABOC were therefore conducting a joint investigation.
Outlining the alleged money trail, Bandara said Airbus had paid approximately EUR 1.454 million into a Standard Chartered Bank account in Singapore belonging to Biz Solutions Inc., a company linked to Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake, the wife of former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena. CIABOC had previously put the exact amount at EUR 1,454,651.24.
The prosecution said funds were subsequently transferred from that account to an OCBC Bank account in Singapore held by a company linked to businessman Nimal Perera.
According to the prosecution, Perera stated in an affidavit that his company’s account received USD 800,000 from Biz Solutions and that he subsequently paid Rs. 100 million in cash to Namal Rajapaksa.
According to allegations outlined by CIABOC when Rajapaksa was produced before court on September 4, 2026, the cash was allegedly paid on several occasions during 2014 and 2015 in return for an amount equivalent to the USD 800,000.
Bandara said Perera had refused to return to Sri Lanka, citing threats to his life.
The prosecution also referred to alleged transfers from Biz Solutions linked to Shamindra Rajapaksa, the son of former Minister Chamal Rajapaksa.
Bandara further told the court that Airbus officials had visited Sri Lanka on several occasions and provided statements to investigators.
He said a forensic investigation conducted with international assistance had recovered emails allegedly exchanged between Namal Rajapaksa and Airbus officials. According to the prosecution, these communications showed Rajapaksa’s alleged involvement in the transaction.
Opposing bail, Bandara said the first suspect in the case, former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena, had died and that investigations into the circumstances of his death were continuing.
He told the court that the second suspect, Wijenayake, was currently in Australia and had not yet been brought back to Sri Lanka.
Bandara said the third suspect, Shamindra Rajapaksa, was in the United States and was the subject of a Red Notice. He added that Shamindra had filed revision applications before the High Court in connection with the case.
The prosecution also said witnesses feared for their lives and were afraid to come forward to give evidence. Bandara cited these concerns in opposing Rajapaksa’s release on bail.
Appearing for Rajapaksa, President’s Counsel Anil Silva sought bail and rejected the prosecution’s arguments.
Silva said his client was an active politician engaged in politics in Sri Lanka and argued that suggestions he would leave the country were speculative.
He also rejected claims that Rajapaksa would interfere with witnesses if released. Silva said his client understood that breaching bail conditions could result in bail being cancelled and his return to remand custody.
The Magistrate issued the remand order after considering submissions from both sides.
— Last Updated: September 16, 2026, at 07:57 PM —