Gotabaya Rajapaksa questioned over MiG aircraft deal

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division Friday morning to give a statement in connection with an investigation into the MiG aircraft deal.

he left after officers recorded his statement.

On Thursday, former Air Force Commander Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Goonetileke gave a statement lasting more than five hours in connection with the investigation into alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of MiG aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The transaction involved the purchase and refurbishment of MiG-27 fighter aircraft from Ukraine in 2006.

The then Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and other officials described it as a government-to-government transaction with Ukraine’s state-owned Ukrinmash.

However, subsequent investigations revealed that millions of dollars paid by the Sri Lankan Government had been transferred to other countries through an intermediary, Bellimissa Holdings, registered in the British Virgin Islands.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division later informed the court that the Ukrainian state-owned company had received only part of the payment and that nearly seven million dollars had allegedly been misappropriated.

Investigators also reported that evidence gathered during a three-year investigation showed that the agreement dated 26 July 2006 was fraudulent.

The Sri Lanka Air Force had made payments to Bellimissa Holdings Limited. The money was reportedly transferred to a secret account in the British Virgin Islands.