Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who arrived at the Bribery Commission to give a statement this morning, left it at around 12 noon.
He appeared before the Bribery Commission this morning following a notice from the Bribery Commission to give a statement regarding the alleged bribe of US$ 2 million paid to SriLankan Airlines in 2013 when purchasing aircraft.
As the former president arrived at the Bribery Commission, supporters had gathered at the scene to show their support. Among them were former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and many of his supporters, our reporters said.
After giving statements to the commission for more than 2 hours, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa left.
In 2013, the then CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena, and his wife, Neomali Wijenayake, were accused of receiving a bribe of US$2 million in 2013 when SriLankan Airlines purchased six Airbus A-330 aircraft and eight A-350 aircraft. The former CEO, Kapila Chandrasena, was later arrested in connection with the case and died under suspicious circumstances a few days ago after being released on bail.
Airbus was first exposed to bribery in its aircraft sales in a case heard in Britain. The case revealed that the company had paid bribes to 20 countries, including Sri Lanka.