Former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, a key figure in the explosive Airbus bribery scandal, was reportedly found dead by hanging at the residence of his brother-in-law, former Sri Lankan cricketer Aravinda de Silva, after court ordered his re-arrest over alleged bail-condition violations. His sudden death has cast a dark and disturbing shadow over the long-running Airbus aircraft procurement scandal, a case that has haunted Sri Lanka’s national carrier for years.
According to reports and information circulating after the incident, Chandrasena was found dead after authorities had moved to arrest him following fresh court developments connected to his bail. Some reports claimed the death was a suicide, while other media outlets raised questions over the circumstances, describing the death as suspicious. At the time of writing, official investigations are expected to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.
Chandrasena was no ordinary corporate figure. He was the former Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, and his name became internationally linked to one of the most damaging corruption scandals involving the national carrier.
The Airbus Scandal That Followed Him
The Airbus scandal involving Chandrasena centered on allegations that aircraft manufacturer Airbus paid a bribe connected to aircraft purchases made by SriLankan Airlines while Chandrasena was serving as CEO.
Investigators alleged that Airbus used Chandrasena’s wife, Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayaka, as an intermediary and paid US$2 million to a company connected to her in relation to the sale of Airbus aircraft to SriLankan Airlines. Investigative material cited in local reports said a Singapore bank account maintained by Biz Solutions, where Wijenayaka was listed as sole director and shareholder, allegedly received the US$2 million payment from EADS N.V., the parent company of Airbus, in December 2013.
The United States later sanctioned Chandrasena, with the U.S. State Department alleging that he accepted a bribe while serving as SriLankan Airlines CEO in exchange for ensuring that Sri Lanka purchased Airbus aircraft at above-market value. Reuters reported that the sanctions also extended to his immediate family members.
In simple terms, the allegation was that Chandrasena, while heading SriLankan Airlines, helped Airbus secure aircraft purchases in return for a massive bribe routed through his wife. That allegation later led to money-laundering proceedings, local arrests, international scrutiny, and U.S. sanctions.
First Arrest, Bail, Rearrest and a Sudden Death
Chandrasena and his wife were first arrested in February 2020 after the Airbus bribery allegations surfaced. They were later released on bail.
The case resurfaced strongly in 2026 when Chandrasena was arrested again by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption over allegations that he had solicited and accepted the US$2 million bribe connected to the SriLankan Airlines Airbus deal. Reports said he was remanded while the court considered his bail application.
On 5 May 2026, the Colombo Chief Magistrate granted Chandrasena bail, ordering a cash bail of Rs. 500,000, three surety bails of Rs. 10 million each and imposing an overseas travel ban.
But the relief was short-lived.
On 7 May 2026, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court issued a warrant for Chandrasena’s arrest after the Bribery Commission alleged that his bail conditions had been violated through the production of unsuitable sureties. Daily Mirror reported that two individuals who stood as sureties were alleged to have done so for payments of Rs. 15,000 each, despite having no personal connection to Chandrasena.
Newswire reported that CIABOC had moved to cancel Chandrasena’s bail and that the court ordered him to be arrested and produced again. It was against that backdrop that Chandrasena was found dead, with police suspecting suicide.
Claims He Evaded Arrest Before Death
According to information now emerging, when authorities reportedly went to arrest Chandrasena at his Barnes Place, Colombo 7 residence, he is said to have evaded arrest and left the location in a three-wheeler taxi before going to the residence of his brother-in-law, former Sri Lankan cricket legend Aravinda de Silva.
Shortly thereafter, Chandrasena was found dead.
The claim has added a dramatic and deeply troubling layer to an already sensational case, particularly because of the timing of his death, which came soon after the court ordered his re-arrest.
Old Controversies at SriLankan Airlines
Chandrasena’s tenure at SriLankan Airlines had also previously drawn controversy beyond the Airbus case.
During his time at the airline, questions were raised over the awarding of the inflight duty-free tender to Phoenix Duty Free Services, headed by Sri Lankan-born Canadian Dilan Romesh Wirasingha, with Raju Chandiram as Managing Director.
According to allegations from those familiar with the matter, after the contract was signed, Chandrasena later altered certain clauses with board approval. These changes allegedly resulted in nearly 33% of guaranteed receivables being written off, on the basis that the payment structure had been calculated using passenger counts that included duplicated transit passengers travelling through Colombo.
Critics claimed the airline lost millions of U.S. dollars due to the support allegedly extended to the duty-free operators.
These allegations, although separate from the Airbus scandal, contributed to the wider perception that SriLankan Airlines during that period had become a playground for questionable decisions, political influence, and commercial arrangements that badly damaged the national carrier.
A Case That Reached the World Stage
The Airbus scandal did not remain a local issue.
It became part of a wider international corruption investigation after Airbus admitted in a UK court in 2020 that it had paid bribes in several countries, including Sri Lanka, to secure aircraft contracts. Local investigators later alleged that Chandrasena solicited and accepted the US$2 million bribe connected to the aircraft procurement deal.
The case also intensified after reports emerged that Chandrasena had allegedly made claims linking part of the Airbus funds to senior political figures, before later retracting those claims through an affidavit issued by his lawyers.
A Corruption Case Now Shadowed by Death
Kapila Chandrasena’s death now leaves behind a disturbing trail of unanswered questions.
He was once one of the most powerful corporate figures in Sri Lanka’s aviation sector. But by the end, his name had become inseparable from allegations of bribery, money laundering, controversial airline decisions, international sanctions, court battles, bail drama, and finally, a sudden death after a re-arrest order.
The Airbus scandal had already exposed the scale of alleged corruption that surrounded SriLankan Airlines’ aircraft purchases.
Now, with Chandrasena dead, the question is no longer only who took the money or who benefited from the aircraft deal.
The question now is whether Sri Lanka will ever fully uncover the truth behind one of the most explosive corruption scandals in the country’s aviation history.
