Mahinda Rajapaksa has been pulled into the Airbus bribery controversy because Sri Lanka’s anti-graft investigators say former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena told them that Rs. 60 million from the alleged bribe money was handed over to Rajapaksa in 2015. The claim relates to a major aircraft deal during Rajapaksa’s presidency, when SriLankan Airlines agreed to buy Airbus planes in a transaction later tainted by corruption allegations.
The case has become one of the most talked-about corruption stories in Sri Lanka because it links high-level politics, a state-owned airline, and an international bribery probe. According to court reports, Chandrasena allegedly said the money was paid in three installments, while another Rs. 20 million was allegedly given to former Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne.
Investigators say the wider Airbus scandal involved hidden kickbacks routed through shell companies and overseas accounts. Reports based on foreign and local investigations suggest that the airline procurement process was exploited to move large sums of money, with some of the funds allegedly ending up with Sri Lankan officials.
The allegations matter because they raise questions about how public procurement decisions were made during Rajapaksa’s administration and whether political influence shaped the airline’s fleet purchases. At the same time, the claims are still part of an ongoing legal process, and the individuals named have not been finally proven guilty in court.
In political terms, the case is damaging because it keeps resurfacing years after the original deal. It has also renewed public debate about corruption, accountability, and how state institutions handled one of the country’s biggest procurement controversies.
Mahinda Rajapaksa has been pulled into the Airbus bribery controversy because Sri Lanka’s anti-graft investigators say former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena told them that Rs. 60 million from the alleged bribe money was handed over to Rajapaksa in 2015. The claim relates to a major aircraft deal during Rajapaksa’s presidency, when SriLankan Airlines agreed to buy Airbus planes in a transaction later tainted by corruption allegations.The case has become one of the most talked-about corruption stories in Sri Lanka because it links high-level politics, a state-owned airline, and an international bribery probe. According to court reports, Chandrasena allegedly said the money was paid in three installments, while another Rs. 20 million was allegedly given to former Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne.
Investigators say the wider Airbus scandal involved hidden kickbacks routed through shell companies and overseas accounts. Reports based on foreign and local investigations suggest that the airline procurement process was exploited to move large sums of money, with some of the funds allegedly ending up with Sri Lankan officials.
The allegations matter because they raise questions about how public procurement decisions were made during Rajapaksa’s administration and whether political influence shaped the airline’s fleet purchases. At the same time, the claims are still part of an ongoing legal process, and the individuals named have not been finally proven guilty in court.
In political terms, the case is damaging because it keeps resurfacing years after the original deal. It has also renewed public debate about corruption, accountability, and how state institutions handled one of the country’s biggest procurement controversies.
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