Namal Rajapaksa arrested, remanded in USD 800,000 Airbus graft case

Namal Rajapaksa has been remanded until September 18 following his arrest by Sri Lanka's anti-graft commission

September 5, 2026

Rajapaksa heir remanded in Airbus kickback case

Namal Rajapaksa, the elder son of Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by the island nation’s anti-graft commission over alleged corruption linked to the purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.

Rajapaksa, 40, was asked to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Friday. He was arrested after more than five hours of questioning by the anti-graft commission before being presented before Magistrate Asanga S Boderagama. The Colombo magistrate remanded him till September 18, officials said.

The questioning of Namal Rajapaksa — a leader of the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) — was based on information that he had benefited USD 800,000 from the purchase of wide-bodied Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines under his father’s presidency, when commissions were deposited into various bank accounts.

This was the first remand of a Rajapaksa from the former first family since the current National People’s Power government came into power two years ago.

Namal Rajapaksa’s cousin Shashindra Rajapaksa is currently on bail, having been remanded early this year.

Namal Rajapaksa had announced plans to organise the first of a major anti-government public rally on September 12 in the north central town of Anuradhapura.

The SLPP claimed his remand was the government’s plan to scuttle the rally and his opposition campaign against the government.

Namal Rajapaksa’s siblings are also facing various charges of wrongdoing, which they all claim are political witch hunts.

Friday’s arrest and remand came after the arrest by the CIABOC of Johnston Fernando, a former Cabinet member of the Rajapaksa governments between 2005 and 2023. He was charged with misusing public funds to install seating at a conference hall named after Mahinda Rajapaksa in the central district of Kandy.

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