Attorney General Dappula de Livera PC has directed the CID Director to obtain a warrant for the arrest of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayaka over financial irregularities said to have committed during the deal between SriLankan Airlines and Airbus SAS for the purchase of aircraft in 2013.
The Attorney General has also instructed the CID Director to name couple as the suspects in a case filed before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court and produce them before court, on charges of money laundering in connection with the alleged fraudulent aircraft transaction.
Co-ordinating Officer to the Attorney General, State Counsel Ms. Nishara Jayaratne told news media that the the Attorney General had made this instructions after perusing the investigative materials submitted by the CID regarding the incident.
Meanwhile, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of former SriLankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena and his wife following a request made by the CID Director.
The Attorney General made this directive in connection with a financial misappropriation that took place during a transaction between SriLankan Airlines and Airbus SAS (France) when agreements were reached to purchase four A330-900 aircraft and six A330-300 aircraft on May 16, 2013. Last Sunday (02), President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also ordered the authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into reports of allegations over the concerned financial irregularities.
The Attorney General observed that there is reasonable suspicion to name these two individuals as the suspects following the investigations.
The investigations have revealed EADS HQ/SSC FRANCE, the mother company of Air Bus SAS had remitted US$ 2 million to a bank account belonging to Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayaka, the wife of former SriLankan Airlines CEO as a bribe or a gratuity.
The investigations have further revealed that the concerned amount of money had been deposited in a bank account maintained by a Company named Biz Solutions belonging to Priyanka Niyomali at Standard Chartered Bank Singapore. It was revealed that Biz Solutions Company had been registered under the name of Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayaka, as the only director of the said company.
The Attorney General further alleged that the couple had remitted the concerned funds to a bank account at the Commonwealth Bank in Australia for the purpose of money laundering.
The Attorney General has further given instructions to the CID that the abstract of the investigation be forwarded to the Director General of the Bribery Commission to take action against them under the Bribery Act. Kapila Chandrasena had functioned as the CEO of SriLankan Airlines between August 1, 2011 and January 2015.
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