Sri Lanka files 24 charges against Namal Rajapaksa over Airbus bribe

Sri Lankan prosecutors have filed 24 charges against lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa over an alleged 100 million rupee ($1 million) bribe tied to SriLankan Airlines' 2013 order for ten Airbus aircraft — a deal whose A350-900 portion was never delivered.

Prosecutors informed a court in Colombo that the formal charges had been laid in the High Court. Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, denies wrongdoing. He was arrested on September 4, 2026, after questioning by Sri Lanka's Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

What does the indictment allege?

The case centers on the national carrier's 2013 purchase of six Airbus A330-300s and four A350-900s. The four A350s never arrived — an outcome that has fueled compensation claims and criminal investigations for years.

Investigators allege that money linked to the transaction moved through overseas companies and bank accounts before reaching Rajapaksa. The alleged route runs through familiar offshore plumbing:

• An $800,000 transfer from a Singapore account held by Biz Solutions (Pvt) Ltd to Sabre Vision Holdings, a company owned by a Sri Lankan businessman
• The businessman then allegedly paid 100 million rupees in bribes during 2014 and 2015

The indictment also names Shamindra Rajapaksa, Priyanka Niyomalie and Biz Solutions (Pvt) Ltd as co-defendants.

Rajapaksa appeared before the three-judge High Court bench on October 28, 2026. The court ordered his return on November 19, and he remains in custody, local news outlets reported.

How does this connect to the global Airbus settlement?

The Sri Lankan charges flow directly from disclosures in the wider Airbus corruption investigation. In January 2020, Airbus agreed to pay more than $3.9 billion to resolve bribery and export-control cases with authorities in the US, France and the UK. The British case covered payments involving Sri Lanka and four other countries.

That settlement exposed the commissions attached to the SriLankan deal and triggered the domestic investigations now producing indictments.

SriLankan Airlines itself moved against the manufacturer in 2021. The carrier sought $1 billion from Airbus for damages, reputational harm and other costs. It also demanded cancellation of its agreement for the four undelivered A350-900s and the return of $19 million in advance payments.

Who else has been caught in the case?

Former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena also faced charges connected to the aircraft purchase. He was found dead in Colombo in May 2026.

The prosecution of a sitting lawmaker — son of a former president, held in custody ahead of a November 19 court date — marks the sharpest escalation yet in a scandal that has already cost Airbus billions in settlements and left the airline holding an order it could not take delivery on. Whether the High Court proceeding produces convictions, the case will keep the 2013 Airbus deal at the center of Sri Lanka's reckoning with its national carrier's finances.