Former Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, was found dead under suspicious circumstances at a residence in Colpetty, according to Police. His death occurred just hours after the Colombo Magistrate’s Court issued an order for his arrest over an alleged violation of bail conditions in an ongoing corruption investigation tied to the national carrier’s Airbus aircraft purchases.
The arrest warrant was issued yesterday by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodharagama following submissions made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). The Commission informed court that Chandrasena, who had been granted bail only two days earlier, had allegedly breached the conditions imposed by the judiciary by arranging paid sureties for his release.
According to CIABOC, Chandrasena had allegedly paid two individuals Rs. 15,000 each to appear as bail signatories and provide sureties of Rs. 1 million each on his behalf. The Commission argued that the move constituted a serious violation of the bail conditions and an abuse of the trust placed in the accused by the court system.
After considering the submissions, the Chief Magistrate ordered officers attached to the Bribery Commission to immediately execute the warrant and produce Chandrasena before court. CIABOC had also requested that the court suspend his bail under Sections 14(1) and 14(3) of the Bail Act No. 30 of 1997 and remand him until the conclusion of the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Chandrasena had been arrested on March 12 in connection with allegations that bribes were accepted during a controversial 2013 Airbus procurement deal involving the purchase of 10 aircraft valued at approximately US$2.3 billion for SriLankan Airlines. Prosecutors allege that he conspired to accept a US$16 million bribe and received €1.45 million into a Singapore bank account linked to a shell company reportedly established in Brunei under his wife’s name.
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court had granted Chandrasena bail on Tuesday, ordering his release on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000 and three sureties of Rs. 1 million each. However, the Bribery Commission later moved to revoke the bail, claiming that the conditions had been fraudulently fulfilled.
Chandrasena had previously been arrested and released on bail in February 2020 in a separate but related corruption case connected to the Airbus deal, which has remained one of Sri Lanka’s most closely watched financial crime investigations involving alleged international kickbacks and abuse of public office.
