Namal Rajapaksa remanded over alleged Airbus affair bribes

Namal Rajapaksa, a Member of Parliament and SLPP National Organiser, has been remanded until September 18 following his arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). The investigation pertains to the long-running Airbus affair involving SriLankan Airlines and aircraft procurement processes from over a decade ago.

CIABOC alleges that Rajapaksa received Rs 100 million in connection with the scandal. The investigation follows claims that commissions related to the Airbus transactions were moved through various accounts, including one in Singapore.

Political leader Udaya Gammanpila has criticized the arrest, arguing it is based on unsubstantiated verbal statements rather than documentary evidence. Gammanpila noted that while a commission was allegedly transferred to an account belonging to a businessman, the claim that funds were subsequently handed to Rajapaksa lacks bank records or telecommunications proof. He characterized the move as a politically motivated attempt to weaken the opposition.