The investigation continues. One of its central figures does not.
For years, the Airbus investigation has been one of Sri Lanka’s most significant corruption inquiries.
It has involved allegations of multimillion-dollar bribes, international investigations spanning three continents, senior political figures, one of the country’s largest commercial transactions and persistent questions about public accountability.
Now the story has acquired another chapter – one that raises questions of an entirely different nature.
Former SriLankan Airlines Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena, one of the central figures in the Airbus investigation, was found dead in May at the residence of his brother-in-law, former Sri Lankan cricket captain Aravinda de Silva, in Kollupitiya.
What initially appeared to be the conclusion of one chapter has instead become the beginning of another. The circumstances surrounding his death are now the subject of an ongoing magisterial inquiry and criminal investigation.
Recent proceedings before the Colombo Fort Magistrate have added another layer to the inquiry. Investigators informed court that while CCTV cameras installed at the residence were operational, the recording system had not been functioning for a considerable period and therefore captured no footage from the location where Chandrasena died.
Instead, police have secured CCTV footage from neighbouring properties covering those entering and leaving the premises.
These developments should not become an invitation for speculation. They should instead reinforce the need for patience and professionalism.
A suspicious death, particularly involving a person at the centre of a nationally important corruption investigation, deserves nothing less than a meticulous investigation that follows evidence wherever it leads and reaches conclusions based solely on fact rather than rumour.
