74-Year-Old Broker Arrested Over Bail Sureties Linked to Former SriLankan Airlines CEO

COLOMBO (News 1st); A broker accused of arranging paid bail sureties to secure the release of former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena has been arrested by the Colombo Central Crimes Investigation Bureau (CCIB).

Police said the suspect is a 74-year-old resident of Colombo and has allegedly been involved in similar activities for a considerable period of time.

Kapila Chandrasena, who served as the CEO of SriLankan Airlines, was accused of accepting a bribe of USD 2 million in connection with the purchase of Airbus aircraft for the national carrier in 2013. Following his arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, he had been remanded in custody.

On May 5, the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court granted Chandrasena bail under strict conditions, releasing him on a cash bail of Rs. 500,000 along with three personal sureties of Rs. 10 million each.

Subsequent investigations carried out after he was released on bail revealed that two of the Rs. 10 million sureties had been produced after payments of Rs. 15,000 each were made to individuals to act as guarantors.

Further police action led to the arrest of the two individuals who stood as paid sureties. They were later produced before court and remanded.