SriLankan Airlines Airbus money-laundering suspect designation
Current status of the SriLankan Airlines Airbus money-laundering suspect designation
The Attorney General directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to formally name Namal Rajapaksa as a suspect under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act No. 5 of 2006, in connection with alleged financial irregularities in SriLankan Airlines' 2013 Airbus aircraft procurement. This is a separate proceeding from the existing CIABOC bribery case over the same procurement (namal-rajapaksa-01, where he is accused of taking a roughly Rs. 100 million/US$800,000 bribe) - bribery and money laundering are distinct alleged offences, though reporting describes both as arising from one joint investigation into the transaction. The CID communicated the Attorney General's instruction to the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court on 11 September 2026, and Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena ordered Rajapaksa be produced before that court on 16 September 2026. No charge or indictment under this money-laundering designation has been reported. On 16 September 2026, the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court produced Rajapaksa as the fourth suspect in this money-laundering investigation and ordered him to remain in remand custody until 23 September 2026, with the bail ruling also to be delivered that day. Prosecutors said steps were being taken to file indictments, but the reviewed reporting does not establish that an indictment had already been filed. This remand order is not a finding of guilt. At the same 16 September hearing, prosecutors told the court that forensic investigators had recovered email communications between Rajapaksa and Airbus officials concerning the aircraft transaction, that Airbus representatives had travelled to Sri Lanka and given statements to CIABOC and the CID, and that investigators had received foreign forensic-audit material. Reporting referred to a 23 March 2013 Airbus email said to mention the "President's son" undertaking to present Airbus's case for the proposed sale to Cabinet through the President. These are prosecution submissions and reported investigative material, not judicial findings or proof of guilt, and Rajapaksa's lawyers disputed the prosecution's payment allegations.
What’s happened
Rajapaksa is now in remand custody in this proceeding specifically (from 16 Sep 2026 to at least 30 Sep 2026, when the bail ruling is now due), in addition to his separate remand in the CIABOC bribery case (namal-rajapaksa-01, further remanded until 29 Sep 2026). The two proceedings remain legally distinct even though both arise from the 2013 Airbus/SriLankan Airlines transaction. Prosecutors have disclosed additional evidentiary material (alleged Airbus emails, Airbus representatives' statements, foreign forensic-audit material) but no new charge or indictment has been confirmed as filed. As of 20 September 2026, the Attorney General is reportedly considering combining this investigation with the separate CIABOC bribery investigation (namal-rajapaksa-01) into a single prospective High Court indictment, alongside international evidence-gathering (France, US, Australia, Singapore, Brunei) and planned Interpol Red Notices for overseas co-suspects Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake and Shamindra Rajapaksa - neither of whom is a politician or separately tracked on Nadu. This remains a reported plan, not a filed indictment. On 23 September 2026, the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court further remanded Rajapaksa until 30 September 2026 and deferred the bail ruling that had been due that day. The court asked the prosecution to clarify, by 30 September: (1) whether this CID money-laundering investigation and the separate CIABOC bribery investigation are being conducted jointly; (2) whether this Fort Magistrate's Court proceeding should be transferred to the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court (where the CIABOC bribery matter is heard); and (3) whether a certificate under section 149 of the Anti-Corruption Act had been filed in the separate Magistrate's Court matter. No bail decision has been made either way, and no indictment or case-merger/transfer has actually occurred - these remain open procedural questions for the court to resolve on 30 September. On 29 September 2026 (not 30 September as previously reported) the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court refused bail and further remanded Rajapaksa until 13 October 2026; prosecutors said a combined indictment would be filed. No indictment had been filed as of 30 September 2026. On 30 September 2026 Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena granted Rajapaksa bail in this CID money-laundering proceeding on Rs. 500,000 cash and two sureties (Daily Mirror and NewsFirst report Rs. 100 million each; Newswire reports Rs. 30 million each - discrepancy unresolved), with sureties' Grama Niladhari certificates, a foreign-travel ban and a warning that bail would be cancelled if he influenced witnesses. The next date was fixed for 14 October 2026. This bail does not release him: he remains remanded in the CIABOC Airbus bribery case until 13 October (namal-rajapaksa-01) and in the CIABOC Krrish bribery case until 6 October (namal-rajapaksa-02). No indictment has been filed.
- Court
- Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
- Next hearing / due
- 14 October 2026
SriLankan Airlines Airbus money-laundering suspect designation timeline
- 14 October 2026
Next Hearing
The matter returns to the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court on 14 October 2026.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 13 October 2026
Next Hearing
Previously listed for 13 October 2026; on 30 September 2026 bail was granted and the next date in this proceeding was fixed for 14 October 2026.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 30 September 2026
Bail Granted
Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena granted bail on Rs. 500,000 cash and two sureties (reported as Rs. 100 million each by Daily Mirror/NewsFirst, Rs. 30 million each by Newswire), with a travel ban and a no-interference condition. He remains remanded in the separate CIABOC Airbus and Krrish proceedings.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
- 29 September 2026
Hearing
Rajapaksa's case returned to court on 29 September 2026. Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara told the court that investigations into the alleged Airbus bribery and the related money-laundering allegations had been completed and that a combined indictment would be filed. Bail was refused and Rajapaksa was further remanded until 13 October 2026.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 29 September 2026
Remanded
Rajapaksa was further remanded until 13 October 2026 after bail was refused. No indictment has yet been filed.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 23 September 2026
Remanded
The Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court further remanded Rajapaksa until 30 September 2026 and deferred the bail ruling that had been due that day. The court asked the prosecution to clarify by 30 September whether this proceeding and the separate CIABOC bribery case are being conducted jointly, whether this case should be transferred to the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court, and whether a section 149 Anti-Corruption Act certificate had been filed in the separate Magistrate's Court matter.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 16 September 2026
Hearing
Rajapaksa was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court as the fourth suspect in this money-laundering investigation - see the linked remand event for the outcome. At this hearing, prosecutors told the court that forensic investigators had recovered email communications between Rajapaksa and Airbus officials about the aircraft transaction, that Airbus representatives had given statements to CIABOC and the CID, and that foreign forensic-audit material had been received. These are prosecution submissions, not judicial findings, and Rajapaksa's lawyers disputed the prosecution's payment allegations.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 16 September 2026
Remanded
The Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court produced Rajapaksa as the fourth suspect in the CID money-laundering investigation connected with the 2013 SriLankan Airlines Airbus procurement and ordered him to remain in remand custody until 23 September 2026, with a bail ruling also due that day. Prosecutors said steps were being taken to file indictments; no indictment had been confirmed as filed as of this reporting.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (3)
- 11 September 2026
Summoned
The Attorney General directed the CID to name Rajapaksa a suspect in the Airbus money-laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act; the CID communicated this to the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court, which ordered him produced on 16 September 2026.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)