Illustrative image: a white Airbus A330 airliner seen from the side in flight. — Illustrative image. Photo: Yannick Bammert, CC BY 2.0

Airline Fleet Deal, Consultancy Fee Included (Wife's Company)

US $2 million paid through a straw company. Seller's spouse handled the invoicing. DPA terms apply.

Sold2013National

$2M≈ €1.79MAs stated in the source: US $2 million

Already sold, to Airbus SE, in 2013. Nothing on Lobay is for sale.

Read the description

Seller

Role: executive of SriLankan Airlines ('SLA Executive 1'), paid through a company owned by his wife
Institution: SriLankan Airlines (99.1% owned by the Government of Sri Lanka)
Country: Sri Lanka

Item specifics

Condition	Deferred prosecution agreement, finally approved 31 January 2020 (not a conviction)
Location	Sri Lanka
Seller	One executive of SriLankan Airlines, paid via his wife's company. Name withheld.
Winning bidder	Airbus SE
Category	Transport
Sold	2013
Payment method	Sham consultancy; US $2 million paid in euros on 27 December 2013

Description

What the bribe bought

The payments were aimed at influencing SriLankan Airlines' purchase of 10 Airbus aircraft (6 A330, 4 A350) and the lease of 4 more. No Sri Lanka-specific value is documented.

What happened

Airbus SE paid US $2 million to a Brunei-registered straw company owned by the wife of an executive at SriLankan Airlines, which was 99.1% owned by the Government of Sri Lanka. The payment was made as a consultancy fee in euros on 27 December 2013. Up to US $16.84 million was promised, but only US $2 million was paid. The case ended in a deferred prosecution agreement, given final approval by the Crown Court at Southwark on 31 January 2020.