Namal Rajapaksa Airbus case widens as the Attorney General instructs the CID to name him as a suspect in the original 2020 aircraft procurement probe.
The Namal Rajapaksa Airbus case has entered a new phase after the Attorney General instructed the Criminal Investigation Department to name the parliamentarian as a suspect in the original 2020 investigation.
The investigation concerns the aircraft procurement process involving SriLankan Airlines and alleged financial transactions linked to the proposed purchase of Airbus aircraft.
Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel Dileepa Peiris, who is supervising the investigation, has reportedly sent the relevant legal instructions to the CID.
According to the information presented, the CID is expected to report facts before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court through a motion next week to formally add Namal Rajapaksa’s name to the case.
Namal Rajapaksa Airbus Case Traces Back to 2013-2014
The main investigation was launched over an alleged payment of US$2 million from a European aircraft manufacturing company in connection with SriLankan Airlines’ Airbus procurement plans during 2013 and 2014.
Original case records stated that the money was credited to a Singapore company account belonging to Priyanga Niyomali Wijenaike, wife of former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena.
The funds were subsequently transferred to an Australian bank account linked to Kapila Chandrasena, according to the case material cited in the article.
The Attorney General’s Department is reported to have taken the latest decision after considering material gathered during the investigation concerning subsequent financial transactions.
Investigators allege that funds linked to those later transactions were ultimately received by Namal Rajapaksa.
Those allegations remain subject to the legal process and have not been established by a final court determination.
Nimal Perera’s Testimony Set to Seal Airbus and Krrish Cases Against Namal Rajapaksa
The Namal Rajapaksa Airbus case deepens as Nimal Perera’s Australian affidavit details an alleged Rs.100 million payment trail.
The Morning Telegraph • September 9, 2026 • 4 min readTwo Parallel Cases Now Centre on Aircraft Procurement
Two separate cases are currently proceeding in relation to the SriLankan Airlines aircraft procurement process.
The first is the 2020 case filed by the Criminal Investigation Department before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.
Former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Kapila Chandrasena, his wife Priyanga Niyomali Wijenaike, and Shameendra Rajapaksa, identified in the article as the son of former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, were named as suspects in that investigation.
Kapila Chandrasena has since died.
According to the information provided, legal warrants remain in force against other parties who are currently overseas.
The second case was filed on September 4 by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption under the new Anti-Corruption Act.
In that case, Namal Rajapaksa was arrested after questioning over allegations that he received a bribe of Rs. 100 million connected to the aircraft transaction.
He has been remanded until September 18.
The latest Attorney General directive means the Namal Rajapaksa Airbus case now also extends directly into the earlier CID investigation that began in 2020.
International Evidence Adds Momentum to Investigation
The investigation has also drawn on material connected to inquiries previously conducted by British, American and French authorities.
The article further states that representatives of Airbus’ parent company recently travelled to Sri Lanka and provided evidence.
Those developments are reported to have contributed to renewed momentum in the investigation.
The international dimension has long formed an important part of inquiries surrounding the SriLankan Airlines aircraft procurement transaction.
However, Namal Rajapaksa’s lawyers and representatives of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna have denied wrongdoing.
They maintain that the allegations are politically motivated and that Namal Rajapaksa has not committed any offence.
Those denials remain part of the competing positions surrounding the case.
CID Expected to Record Further Statements
Once Namal Rajapaksa is formally named as a suspect in the original CID case, investigators will have the opportunity to question him further regarding the alleged transaction.
As he is currently in remand custody, CID officers may also seek to record statements from him in connection with the 2020 investigation.
The development creates a more complex legal position because the parliamentarian is now linked to two parallel proceedings concerning the same wider SriLankan Airlines aircraft procurement controversy.
One case is being pursued by the Bribery Commission under the Anti-Corruption Act.
The other stems from the original CID investigation filed before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.
The Namal Rajapaksa Airbus case will therefore now move forward on two legal tracks, with investigators seeking to establish the path of the alleged funds and the extent of any involvement by those named.
The courts will ultimately determine the legal responsibility of each accused or suspect based on the evidence presented.
