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Sri Lankan Ex-Airline CEO in Airbus Bribery Scandal Found Dead in ...
Colombo: The former chief of Sri Lanka’s state-owned airline, who was charged with corruption over the purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft, was found dead on Friday, police said.Kapila Chandrasena, the former chief executive of SriLankan Airlines, was found dead at the Colombo home of a relative, said police.“We are investigating the cause of death and circumstances,” a police officer told AFP.Chandrasena was remanded in March on charges of conspiring to accept a $16 million bribe from Airbus in connection with a $2.3 billion aircraft purchase deal.Shortly after his arrest, he reportedly told investigators that part of the money had been paid to the country’s then president, Mahinda Rajapakse, and then aviation minister Piyankara Jayaratne.Rajapakse, who served as president from 2005 to 2015, and his once-powerful family have been the subject of several high-profile corruption allegations, which they deny and describe as politically motivated.Chandrasena was released from remand custody on Tuesday.But a court on Thursday ordered his re-arrest, after prosecutors accused him of bribing two men to post bail.The bribery commission told the court in March that Chandrasena had admitted to paying Rajapakse 60 million rupees in 2013, worth around $480,000 at the time, while heading the airline.The alleged transactions took place as the airline sought to finalise a $2.3 billion deal with Airbus for 10 aircraft, which required approval from Rajapakse’s cabinet.Chandrasena disclosed the alleged kickbacks in a statement to the commission after his arrest in March.A spokesman for Rajapakse denied the allegations.SriLankan Airlines is saddled with debt, with estimated accumulated losses of 596 billion rupees at the end of March last year. Attempts to sell the airline have so far failed to attract a buyer.Chandrasena was previously arrested and released on bail in a separate case in 2020.At the time, the United States, Britain and France named him in a joint investigation into Airbus business deals.Earlier that year, a French court approved a $4 billion fine to be paid by the European aircraft manufacturer to France, Britain and the United States to settle the probes.Investigators in Britain accused Airbus of failing to prevent people associated with the company from bribing directors or employees of SriLankan Airlines to “obtain or retain business or advantage”.The US government in December 2024 sanctioned Chandrasena for accepting a bribe from Airbus.
Former SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena found dead - Police
Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, was found dead at a residence in Colpetty, according to Police. Police later stated that the death is suspected to be a suicide. Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) F. U. Wootler, said the body was discovered at a residence located at No. 38, Pedris Road, Kollupitiya, where Chandrasena had reportedly died by hanging. Meanwhile, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court yesterday issued an order for the arrest and production before court of Chandrasena, who had been released on bail two days earlier. The arrest warrant was issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodharagama after considering a request made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), on the grounds that the defendant had allegedly violated bail conditions. Issuing the order, the Chief Magistrate directed officers of the Bribery Commission to immediately execute the warrant. Chandrasena, who was arrested on March 12 in connection with the alleged acceptance of bribes during the purchase of Airbus aircraft for the national carrier, had been granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (May 5). At the time, the Magistrate ordered that the suspect be released on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000 and three sureties of Rs. 1 million each. However, the Bribery Commission informed court through a motion that the suspect had allegedly paid two individuals Rs. 15,000 each to appear as bail signatories and furnish the sureties of Rs. 1 million each. The Bribery Commission alleged that, through this action, the suspect had violated the bail conditions imposed by court and breached the trust placed in him by the judiciary. Accordingly, CIABOC requested court to suspend the suspect’s bail order under Sections 14(1) and 14(3) of the Bail Act No. 30 of 1997, and further requested that he be remanded until the conclusion of the case under Section 149(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Bribery Commission also sought the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the suspect, who had already been released from prison on bail. Having considered the submissions made, the Magistrate ordered the arrest and production of the suspect before court and directed that a warrant be issued. Chandrasena, who served as CEO of SriLankan Airlines during a 2013 deal to purchase 10 aircraft worth US$2.3 billion, is accused of conspiring to accept a bribe of US$16 ...
SRI LANKA Main defendant in Airbus-SriLankan Airlines corruption case dies
Kapila Chandrasena was under investigation for alleged bribery in connection with the controversial Airbus aircraft purchase deal involving SriLankan Airlines.
SriLankan Airlines: Ex-CEO found dead after bail in Airbus bribery case
Colombo: Former CEO of SriLankan Airlines Kapila Chandrasena was found dead at his home in suspicious circumstances on Friday, days after he secured bail in a corruption case, police said.
