Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, has been arrested today (12) by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) in connection with investigations into the controversial Airbus deal. 

Chandrasena had appeared before the Bribery Commission this morning to provide a statement regarding the matter and was arrested after recording a lengthy statement.

Accordingly, he has been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of USD 2 million related to the Airbus aircraft deal.

Chandrasena, who was 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 million and receiving €1.45 million into a bank account in Singapore. 

Prosecutors say Chandrasena created a shell company in Brunei in his wife’s name and arranged for the kickback to be paid into its Singapore account.

Chandrasena was previously arrested and released on bail in February 2020 in a similar but separate case.

At that time, the United States, Britain and France named him in a joint investigation into Airbus business deals.

In January 2020, a French court approved a fine of €3.6 billion 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 persons associated with the company from bribing directors or employees of SriLankan Airlines to “obtain or retain business or advantage”.

--With Agencies Inputs