JUSTICE • DUE PROCESS • POLITICSNamal Rajapaksa: Accountability or Political Victimisation?
Namal Rajapaksa faces serious allegations. He denies wrongdoing and has raised concerns about political interference. Neither guilt nor victimisation should be assumed. Both claims require evidence.
In September 2026 investigators arrested Rajapaksa in connection with an alleged bribery trail linked to the SriLankan Airlines Airbus transaction. The Bribery Commission has alleged that money moved through overseas entities before an amount equivalent to Rs.100 million was paid as a bribe. Rajapaksa has publicly denied wrongdoing and said he is prepared to face an independent investigation.
By 13 October, the Attorney General told court that investigations in the Airbus-related case were complete and that steps were being taken toward seeking a Trial-at-Bar. These are allegations and procedural developments, not findings of guilt.
The political-victimisation claim
Rajapaksa has argued that legal proceedings must remain independent of political interference and has questioned the timing of action against him. He has separately accused President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of politicising judicial matters. Those claims deserve reporting, but an accusation of political motivation does not itself invalidate evidence gathered by investigators.
The same principle works both ways
Likewise, a government’s anti-corruption mandate does not establish an accused person’s guilt. Prosecutors must prove their case through admissible evidence before an independent court. Public speeches by politicians should not substitute for judicial findings.
What Lanka Witness will measure
The useful questions are documentary: What evidence is filed? Is the chain of money supported independently? Are defence challenges heard fairly? Are investigators institutionally independent? Are comparable cases pursued regardless of party? Do courts give reasoned decisions?
Lanka Witness assessment: Sri Lanka does not have to choose between accountability and due process. Genuine accountability requires due process. Namal Rajapaksa is entitled to the presumption of innocence; investigators are entitled to pursue credible evidence; and political leaders should leave determinations of guilt to courts.