2013 Airbus deal: CIABOC summons MR and Piyankara Jayaratne

• No official notice to Mahinda Rajapaksa – MR’s spokesman

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has summoned former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Minister Piyankara Jayaratne to provide statements on May 12.  

The summons is related to an ongoing investigation into the controversial 2013 Airbus re-fleeting deal involving the national carrier, SriLankan Airlines.  

The investigation centers on allegations of corruption and financial irregularities during the procurement of several Airbus aircraft. During the period in question, Mahinda Rajapaksa served as the President of Sri Lanka, while Piyankara Jayaratne held the portfolio of Minister of Civil Aviation.  

However, Attorney Manoj Gamage, the spokesman of former President issuing a statement, stated that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has not received any official notice from the Commission regarding the controversial Airbus transaction.  

The 2013 Airbus deal remains one of the most significant financial controversies in Sri Lankan aviation history.  

In March, 2026, the Bribery Commission told the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that millions in alleged bribe money from the controversial 2013 Airbus deal were personally handed over to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne.  

In explosive submissions, the Commission revealed that former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena had allegedly delivered Rs. 60 million to Rajapaksa in three separate installments of Rs. 20 million each, at his Beliatta and Carlton residences, following a request made in 2015. A further Rs. 20 million was allegedly paid to Jayaratne, according to court filings. CIABOC also disclosed that investigations uncovered financial trails linking the alleged bribe funds to an account belonging to Shamindra Rajapaksa, a former SriLankan Airlines Board member and son of ex-Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, widening the scope of the scandal into the highest echelons of political power.  

However, the case has taken a dramatic twist.  

Chandrasena, through his lawyers, later released an affidavit claiming that his earlier statement to CIABOC was extracted under intimidation. In the sworn statement dated 18 March, he alleges that he was removed from the recording room during questioning and threatened by officials, including the Commission’s Director General. He claims he was warned of imminent arrest and pressured to name former President Rajapaksa, Opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa, and members of his family.   

He further alleges that he was denied access to legal counsel while the statement was recorded and insists that references to the Rajapaksa family were made under fear and do not reflect his voluntary testimony.  

Kapila Chandrasena was arrested by the CIABOC on March 12, 2026 for allegedly accepting a bribe of USD 2 million related to the Airbus aircraft deal. He was remanded until May 05 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court.