Former Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne left the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Tuesday after recording a statement for nearly four hours over the SriLankan Airlines Airbus procurement deal, Newswire and Ada Derana reported.

Jayaratne appeared before the Commission in response to a summons to record a statement regarding the alleged US$2 million in bribes paid during SriLankan Airlines’ 2013 Airbus aircraft purchase. He departed the premises after the long statement-recording session, both outlets said.

CIABOC had earlier informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that steps were under way to summon former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Jayaratne and an individual identified as Willie Gamage to record statements in connection with the Airbus probe. Rajapaksa appeared at CIABOC earlier on the same day and left after recording a statement for more than two hours.

The two appearances mark the first time senior political figures from the Rajapaksa administration have personally engaged with the Airbus inquiry, beyond the asset disclosure and affidavit tracks already running in parallel. The summons were formally served at Rajapaksa’s Carlton residence on May 9 after a week-long dispute over notification.

The Airbus case centres on alleged corruption in SriLankan Airlines’ aircraft procurement during the Rajapaksa administration. British court documents released in 2020 revealed that Airbus offered up to US$16 million to influence the deal, with US$2 million allegedly paid to a shell company linked to the wife of former SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena.

Chandrasena, the central defendant in the case, was found dead at a Colpetty residence on May 8 in what police have described as a suspected suicide, days after being granted bail and one day after a fresh arrest warrant was issued. He had previously stated in court that Rs. 60 million of the alleged bribe funds was given to Mahinda Rajapaksa.

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

Sources: Newswire; Ada Derana.