Kapila Chandrasena, who was CEO of SriLankan Airlines during a 2013 deal to purchase 10 aircraft worth $2.3 billion, was arrested on Thursday and remanded in custody, officials said. Chandrasena was previously arrested and released on bail in February 2020 in a similar but separate case. At that time, the United States, Britain and France named him in a joint investigation into Airbus business deals. Investigators in Britain accused Airbus of failing to prevent persons associated with the company from bribing directors or employees of SriLankan Airlines to "obtain or retain business or advantage". In June 2025, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, who was chairman of SriLankan Airlines when the carrier contracted to buy the 10 aircraft in 2013 -- was arrested in an unrelated corruption case.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 13, 2026 09:03 UTC