COLOMBO, September 4: Sri Lankan authorities on Friday arrested parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in connection with an ongoing corruption investigation into the purchase of Airbus aircraft by national carrier SriLankan Airlines.

Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, a lawmaker belonging to the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), was summoned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to record a statement in connection with the controversial aircraft transaction. He was questioned for more than five hours before being taken into custody.

The investigation relates to the purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines in 2013. The deal, reportedly valued at about $2.3 billion, involved the proposed acquisition of 10 Airbus aircraft and was approved during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency. The transaction was subsequently cancelled by a new government in 2016.

According to the anti-corruption investigation, allegations centre on payments allegedly made in connection with the aircraft transaction. CIABOC has said its investigation includes statements from a Sri Lankan businessman, information provided by Airbus officials in France and electronic and other evidence gathered during the probe.

Mr. Rajapaksa has consistently denied wrongdoing and has previously rejected allegations of corruption. His family has described corruption allegations against them as politically motivated.

After his arrest, Mr. Rajapaksa was produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. The court ordered that he be kept in remand custody until September 18.

The Airbus investigation is part of a wider international corruption case. In 2020, Airbus reached settlements with authorities in France, the United Kingdom and the United States following investigations into allegations of bribery in aircraft sales, agreeing to pay about $4 billion to resolve the cases.