00:00Sri Lanka opposition leader Namal Rajapaksha has been arrested is what we've given to understand.
00:05Namal Rajapaksha held in Sri Lanka a corruption case where the former president Mahindra Rajapaksha's son has now been arrested.
00:13Namal arrested over an alleged airbus deal corruption that's come to the forefront.
00:18Anti-graft commission questions Namal for over five long hours.
00:23Namal Rajapaksha remanded till September 18th is what we've given to understand.
00:27And magistrate orders Namal's judicial remand.
00:31Namal allegedly benefited from $800,000 in the airbus deal.
00:37Craft case linked to the Sri Lanka Airlines airbus purchase.
00:39Namal arrest sparks political rounds Sri Lanka.
00:42And his party SLPP has come out to say that the arrest is a bid to scuttle rally.
00:48Namal, remember, had planned a major anti-government rally that was to take place on September 12th.
00:54Now, right ahead of that, this arrest comes in, which is why his party has alleged this to be more
00:59of a vindictive action that's been taken and politically motivated for that matter.
01:06But right now, there are details that are coming to the forefront.
01:10This is the former Sri Lankan president's son that we're speaking of, Namal Rajapaksha, who's in fact been arrested in
01:18a corruption case with regards to a certain airbus deal that had in fact initially come to light.
01:24This is the details that we have for you so far, but we are awaiting more details with regards to
01:32the very scam and the role that he is currently in fact being alleged of in the very case as
01:39the probe has picked up.
01:41There's an anti-graft commission that's interrogated Namal for over five years ahead of the very arrest itself.
01:48And he's been remanded till September 18th, which is six days after the very rally that had been planned on
01:55September 12th.
01:56The magistrate has ordered Namal's judicial remand so far and the allegation, the primary allegation that's come in against him
02:05is that he's benefited by $800,000 in the very airbus deal.
02:11And that's the corruption case that's been in fact brought to light at this given point of time.
02:17This case is linked to the Sri Lankan Airlines airbus purchase, from which it's being said that he's made a
02:23whopping profit in the very deal that's come to the forefront now.
02:28It's been under investigation for some time and it's Namal Rajapaksha's name that's come to light in the very case,
02:36over which he's now been detained and arrested by the Sri Lankan police.
02:42This party, SLPP, however, has come out to say and maintained that it's a politically motivated arrest, which is a
02:49bid to basically scuttle the rally that had been planned.
02:52It's a major anti-government rally planned on September 12th.
02:57Now, whether that rally continues without him at this given point or it takes a much different turn with this
03:04arrest or it's cancelled altogether because of his arrest, all of those details we will in fact keep a very
03:10close look at.
03:12But right now, these are the details that we are getting.
03:14Pramod Madhav joining us on the broadcast with more details.
03:17Pramod, just take a very good morning to you firstly.
03:20Just take us through the details that we so far know about the airbus deal.
03:24Well, what exactly was his role?
03:26How is it that he benefited a whopping amount of $800,000 in this very deal?
03:32Well, no, one thing is very certain, Shreya.
03:34What is happening right now is that like he was, you know, walking for questioning and now Rajapaksha himself has
03:40stated that he has been remanded until 18th of September.
03:43But he's questioning that the government came to power two years before and why such things are happening only now.
03:48He also says that on 12th of September, thousands of his supporters are also expected to attend his own political
03:54meeting and he's asking why today, why now, why until 18th September.
04:00So, he's in a kind of way claiming that no, this is politically motivated, Shreya.
04:05Right, Pramod.
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