Namal Rajapaksa bail hearing deferred in Sri Lanka Airbus corruption case

Colombo,UPDATED: Sep 18, 2026 15:24 IST

A Sri Lankan court on Friday deferred the bail hearing of opposition leader Namal Rajapaksa, who is in remand custody in a case over alleged corruption in the purchase of Airbus aircraft. Rajapaksa, 40, appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court, where his lawyers sought bail.

The court directed that the bail application be formally presented on September 22. The anti-graft commission has been given until September 25 to file its objections, after which the court is set to deliver its decision on September 28.

Rajapaksa, the elder son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and the leader of the opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party in Parliament, has been in custody since September 4 after his arrest in connection with the case. He is facing two separate cases linked to the controversial purchase of Airbus aircraft by SriLankan Airlines in 2012-13.

One case relates to an alleged LKR 100 crore bribe from Airbus, while the other concerns alleged money laundering and financial irregularities. Rajapaksa was on Wednesday remanded until September 23 in the proceedings related to the money laundering case. The case centres on alleged corruption involving USD 800,000, around LKR 26.5 crore, in the purchase of wide-bodied Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines during his father's presidency.

Rajapaksa's arrest is the first remand of a member of the former first family since the People's Power government came to power two years ago. The government has maintained that action against opposition politicians is in line with its 2024 election pledge to clean public life and eradicate corruption. The opposition SLPP has accused the government of politically victimising Rajapaksa through the case and his continued remand. Rajapaksa's siblings have also faced allegations of wrongdoing, which the family has described as politically motivated, while his cousin Shashindra Rajapaksa is currently out on bail after being remanded earlier this year.

The case has therefore brought renewed focus on the Airbus deal, the corruption allegations linked to it, and the political dispute between the government and the Rajapaksa family, with the court now set to take up the bail process over the coming days.

With PTI Inputs

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