A formal letter summoning former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on May 12 was delivered to his Carlton residence on Saturday, the SLPP confirmed to Newswire. The letter resolves a week-old dispute over whether the summons had been properly served, after the Rajapaksa camp had publicly insisted that no formal notification had been received despite repeated press reports.

The summons, originally signalled by CIABOC and reported in early May, calls Rajapaksa and former Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne to record statements in connection with the SriLankan Airlines Airbus aircraft procurement case. The formal delivery comes less than 24 hours after the death of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena, the central defendant in the same probe, in what police have described as a suspected suicide.

The summons mark the first time the former President has been called personally before the Bribery Commission in connection with the Airbus thread. Earlier CIABOC actions involving Rajapaksa had been confined to assets affidavit orders and a parallel inquiry into the Siriliya account and a Torrington Avenue property held in former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s name.

The Airbus probe centres on alleged corruption in SriLankan Airlines’ aircraft procurement agreement during the Rajapaksa administration. Funds tied to the deal are alleged in court filings to have been routed as bribes to multiple parties, including political figures.

Former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena was arrested by CIABOC on March 12 and is currently in remand custody, with his next court date further set for May 5. Chandrasena previously stated in court that Rs. 60 million from the alleged bribe funds was paid to Rajapaksa — a claim that has since shadowed the parallel assets investigation.

Arrest warrants remain outstanding for former SriLankan chairman Shamindra Rajapaksa and former board member Priyanka Wijenayaka, both of whom are abroad.

The May 12 summons add a personal-statement track to the Airbus proceedings alongside the existing custody, warrant and assets investigations.

Sources: Newswire — summons letter delivered, Newswire — initial summons, Ada Derana.