Stories
Namal Rajapaksa Quizzed in Bribery Case Over Indian Investment Project
- •Sri Lankan opposition leader Namal Rajapaksa was questioned by the anti-graft commission regarding an alleged LKR 70 million bribe from Krish Hotels, an Indian investment project.
- •Namal, son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, is currently in remand for charges related to a USD 2 million bribe in the 2013 Airbus aircraft purchase for SriLankan Airlines and subsequent money laundering.
- •Janaki Siriwardena, Chairperson of Krish Hotels, was arrested and remanded for allegedly bribing Namal to secure key project approvals.
- •Namal was previously questioned in 2016 and faced a case for misusing Krish project funds for rugby promotion.
- •This marks the first remand of a former first family member since the NPP government took power, aligning with their anti-corruption election pledge, though the SLPP alleges political victimization.
Key Questions Answered
Namal Rajapaksa has been in remand since September 4 to face charges of accepting a USD 2 million bribe in the 2013 purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines, alongside a second remand order for money laundering in the same case.
Investigators from the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) questioned Namal Rajapaksa in prison regarding an alleged bribe of Sri Lankan Rupees 70 million accepted from the local agent of Krish Hotels, Janaki Siriwardena, to secure key project approvals.
The National People's Power (NPP) government has maintained that the legal actions against opposition politicians fulfill their 2024 election pledge to clean public life and eradicate corruption, despite the opposition accusing them of political victimisation.
