Sadly, KC’s death has brought renewed attention to my brother, Rajeewa Jayaweera, who died in June 2020. Some people on social media tried to connect his death to an article he wrote about the Airbus scandal involving SriLankan Airlines, KC, and his wife. Disturbingly, some even shared images of my brother’s body from the incident on social media. This was highly insensitive and caused great distress to my sisters and me. Losing a sibling in such a tragic way leaves lasting scars. It took our family years to cope with his loss, and seeing those painful images linked to a separate incident reopened old wounds unnecessarily. On behalf of my sisters and myself, I want to clarify that my brother, Rajeewa Jayaweera, took his own life in June 2020 due to personal struggles. His death had no connection to his articles about the Airbus scandal. Neither the Rajapaksas nor any political figure or government agency had any role in his passing. The inquiry into his death concluded it was a suicide. Those who know me understand that I am straightforward and determined. If there had been even a hint of credible suspicion about my brother’s death, I would have relentlessly sought justice. Since it has been confirmed as a case of suicide, I sincerely hope that those spreading baseless theories will allow this matter to be put to rest with dignity. The alleged USD 2 million bribe from Airbus SE to a shell company set up in Brunei by the wife of a senior SriLankan Airlines official emerged after the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) approved a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with Airbus on January 31, 2020. This agreement was sanctioned by Dame Victoria Sharp, President of the Queen’s Bench Division at the Crown Court in Southwark, and it is one of the largest anti-corruption settlements in recent corporate history. The SFO's investigation into Airbus reached beyond Sri Lanka, revealing bribery claims linked to aircraft purchases by AirAsia and AirAsia X in Malaysia, SriLankan Airlines, TransAsia Airways in Taiwan, PT Garuda Indonesia, Citilink Indonesia, and military aircraft deals involving Ghana's Government. The judgment specifically referenced the SriLankan Airlines case (page 12, points 41 to 44), claiming that Airbus employees violated Section 7 of the UK Bribery Act 2010 by failing to prevent bribery connected to the airline's aircraft procurement from July 2011 to June 2015. According to the Statement of Facts, Airbus engaged the wife of a person linked to the aircraft acquisition through a shell company called “Company Intermediary 1.” Allegedly, Airbus employees offered up to USD 16.84 million in commissions related to SriLankan Airlines’ purchase of ten Airbus aircraft and the lease of four more. Ultimately, only USD 2 million was reportedly paid. The judgment also indicated that Airbus employees attempted to conceal the identity of the beneficial owner behind the intermediary company and misled the UK Export Finance Agency (UKEF) regarding the interm...
