Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he would comply with the summons issued by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and appear before the Commission tomorrow (12).

The former President made the remarks while attending the funeral of former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena to pay his final respects.Rajapaksa has been instructed via a letter to appear before the CIABOC to record a statement regarding the controversial Airbus deal.

The case relates to allegations that Chandrasena, who was found dead inside a house in Colombo 03 last week, and his wife, Priyanka Neomali Wijenayake, accepted a US$ 2 million bribe in connection with SriLankan Airlines’ 2013 purchase of six Airbus A330 aircraft and eight A350 aircraft. During court proceedings, CIABOC officials stated that Chandrasena had claimed Rs. 20 million from the alleged payment was given to then Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne, while Rs. 60 million was allegedly handed over to then President Rajapaksa.

However, President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsekularatne challenged the claims, submitting an affidavit to court alleging that statements had been obtained from his client under intimidation by the Director General of the CIABOC.