The management of SriLankan Airlines will ‘cooperate’ fully with any state agency in the event of an investigation/prosecution into allegations of corruption in the purchase/lease of an Airbus aircraft, the national carrier said on Sunday.
“SriLankan Airlines Ltd has become aware of a Judgement in the United Kingdom related to a charge of corruption in the purchase/ lease of Aircraft between the period 2011- 2015 June. Therefore the Chairman with the concurrence of the Board has directed the management to cooperate fully with any Governmental agency in the event of any investigation/ prosecution. The management has also been directed to preserve and study all available internal documentation with a view to take all possible corrective future action,” the airline said in a statement.
According to court documents unveiled in a British court case, Airbus SE hired the wife of a SriLankan Airlines (SLA) executive as a business partner through a dummy company she registered in Brunei. “The corporation then paid into this entity’s account US$ 2 million (Rs. 362 million) out of a total US$16.84 million (Rs. 3 billion) promised in return for ensuring that the national carrier bought aircraft from Airbus, according to a Sunday Times report. (SD)
A Sri Lankan man was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear, the Bangkok post reported.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
Read these and more on tomorrow’s edition of the Sunday Times
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