Chandrasena’s downfall and lessons to be learnt

Thursday, 14 May 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The death a few days ago of the former Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines Kapila Chandrasena, who faced corruption charges tied to a $2.3 billion Airbus aircraft purchase, is emblematic of what ails Sri Lanka as a whole and how the insatiable greed for money and power can often end in tragedy.

Chandrasena came from a middle-class family, had the privilege of attending a much sought after school in Colombo, was well employed, had the right family and social connections that the majority of people in this country can only aspire to.

But all this was not enough for him to understand the destructive path he willingly tread which eventually led to his tragic death. Police say his death is ‘suspicious’ given the high-profile nature of the case, but it could also be that he was a man who saw no way out with the law enforcement net closing around him. While the final verdict on the cause of death has not been made public, the case itself warrants a closer look given the nexus between politicians and the so called ‘respectable’ citizens, who easily get sucked into a world that politicians are all too familiar with which others do not fathom until they are too deep in the dirt.

Take the case of Lalith and Sicille Kotelawala and the sad manner in which their lives ended. The couple had the world at their feet. Money, fame, high society connections as well as political connections. But again, it was the love to become richer than they already were that eventually led to their fall from grace. Along with them, the couple took down a few others, many of whom fell into the ‘respectable’ bracket in society.

Arjun Mahendran remains a fugitive on the run from the Sri Lanka law enforcement for falling into the political connections trap. There are many such examples. The quest to hoard more than one can spend even in a few lifetimes eventually led to their downfall.

Chandrasena is the latest whose life and death is being played out in the media. His death is a tragedy for his family members particularly his children and close family members. The man may be a villain in the public eye but for those who were close to him, he would be a hero. These are the ironies of life.

The Airbus case in question dates from 2013 when Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President. He appeared before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) on Monday. Chandrasena had told investigators that he had paid Rs. 60 million to former President in three separate instalments of Rs. 20 million each but later filed a motion in the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court accusing CIABOC Director General Ranga Dissanayake of threatening him to implicate Rajapaksa and other politicians over the Airbus scandal.

It was while things were getting more sordid that Chandrasena was found dead. His death will make the case more challenging for the investigators. While that continues, there is a lesson that hopefully the so-called ‘respectable’ people who align themselves with politicians will understand. Political power is fleeting and while being in the close circle of powerful politicians may seem like it’s going to last forever, the reality is that a day of reckoning comes for those engaged in abuse of power, corruption, and illegal activities.