MONETABRIEF – Former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son, Namal, was refused bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate because he was produced in court with a certificate stating he had committed a serious offence under the Anti-Corruption Act.

The 40-year-old MP was arrested on Friday under the new anti-graft legislation parliament adopted unanimously in 2023. His SLPP party enjoyed a majority in that legislature despite his uncle Gotabaya Rajapaksa being toppled from the presidency a year earlier.

Namal is primarily accused of accepting $800,000 out of a €1.4 million bribe the then SriLankan Airlines chief executive Kapila Chandrasena is alleged to have received from Airbus after finalising a $2.3 billion purchase of planes in 2013.

Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama told court that he did not have the power to grant Namal bail because the Director-General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had issued a certificate under section 149 of the Act.

The provision stipulates that a magistrate may not grant bail when the CIABOC DG presents a certificate confirming that an offence under the Act had been committed.

The magistrate noted that he could grant bail only in “exceptional circumstances”, but there was no acceptable argument from the defence for him to do so.

The Sri Lankan businessman who acted as a conduit for the bribe, Nimal Perera, had turned a state witness, providing details of how the money was given to Namal through two bank transfers in 2014 and 2015, court was told.

The Airbus bribery scandal broke following a joint investigation by Britain, France and the United States. After the discovery of widespread bribing of officials and politicians in other countries to sell their aircraft, Airbus paid $4.0 billion in 2020 to settle a case with the three nations. (Airbus statement: [ https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-01-airbus-reaches-agreements-with-french-uk-and-us-authorities ) US government statement is here ( https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/airbus-agrees-pay-over-39-billion-global-penalties-resolve-foreign-bribery-and-itar-case )

The Colombo magistrate’s court was told on Friday that the three nations – Britain, France and the United States – as well as Singapore and Australia were cooperating with CIABOC in investigating bribes paid to Sri Lankan politicians and officials.

Court was told that Airbus had sent their representatives to Sri Lanka thrice and they had given four statements to investigators in connection with Namal’s case. Singapore and Australian banks too were cooperating with local authorities.

The cooperation was in line with the mutual legal assistance framework, the court was told.

The then SriLankan CEO, Chandrasena, was found dead at a relative’s home in Colombo May. A couple of months earlier, he told CIABOC that he shared part of a bribe he received from Airbus with former president Rajapaksa and relatives of the former first family and the then aviation minister Piyankara Jayaratne. All have denied accepting bribes.

Under the provisions of the August 2023 Act, Namal Rajapaksa could be held in custody until the conclusion of the trial, even though the magistrate remanded him until 18 September. A magistrate has the power to hold a suspect for two weeks at a time. (COLOMBO/Sept 5/2026)