Tragedy and corruption : suicide of the former CEO of SriLankan Airlines

The corruption scandal rocking SriLankan Airlines has taken a dramatic turn with the suicide by hanging of its former CEO, Kapila Chandrasena, who was found dead at his home last Friday, the day after an arrest warrant was issued for him.

This sudden death was announced by his brother-in-law, SriLankan cricket legend Aravinda de Silva. The two men were married to two sisters, adding a dimension of family tragedy to this affair of national importance.

Until now free, although under investigation, Chandrasena’s situation suddenly worsened when the courts uncovered undisclosed irregularities related to the massive 2013 acquisition of Airbus aircraft, a colossal $2.3 billion contract.

The investigation revealed that the European manufacturer allegedly paid bribes to facilitate the purchase of aircraft that turned out to be technically and economically unsuitable for the national airline’s actual needs.

Specifically, the former leader was accused of personally receiving a $2 million bribe through a shell company based in Brunei, a maneuver designed to conceal the illicit origin of the funds.

This death comes as Sri Lankan authorities were attempting to shed light on one of the largest embezzlement cases in the country’s history, leaving many questions unanswered regarding the internal and international complicity that enabled this disastrous transaction for public finances.