Colombo, 05 September (H.S.): Namal Rajapaksa, the elder son of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by the country's anti-graft commission over alleged corruption linked to the purchase of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines.

Rajapaksa, 40, was questioned for more than five hours by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Friday before being arrested. He was subsequently produced before Magistrate Asanga S. Boderagama, who remanded him until September 18, officials said.

The questioning was based on allegations that Namal Rajapaksa benefited by USD 800,000 from the purchase of wide-bodied Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines during his father's presidency, with alleged commissions deposited into various bank accounts.

This is the first time a member of the Rajapaksa family has been remanded since the current National People's Power government came to power two years ago. Namal Rajapaksa's cousin Shashindra Rajapaksa is currently out on bail after being remanded earlier this year.

Namal Rajapaksa, a leader of the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), had announced plans to hold a major anti-government public rally in Anuradhapura on September 12.

The SLPP alleged that his arrest and remand were aimed at disrupting the proposed rally and weakening his opposition campaign against the government. Members of the Rajapaksa family facing other allegations have also described the cases against them as politically motivated.

The arrest came shortly after CIABOC arrested Johnston Fernando, a former Cabinet minister in the Rajapaksa governments between 2005 and 2023. Fernando was charged with allegedly misusing public funds to install seating at a conference hall named after Mahinda Rajapaksa in Kandy.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar