Gotabaya Rajapaksa reported to Sri Lanka's Financial Crimes Investigation Division on September 11 to provide a statement regarding a probe into alleged irregularities in a 2006 fighter aircraft purchase deal.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appeared before the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on September 11 to record a statement as part of an ongoing investigation into the procurement of MiG fighter aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force. The inquiry concerns alleged financial irregularities surrounding the transaction.
In 2006, Sri Lanka's defence establishment, then headed by Defence Secretary Rajapaksa, announced the acquisition of MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine and characterized the purchase as a direct government-to-government transaction with Ukrainian state enterprise Ukrinmash. However, subsequent FCID findings presented to court revealed that millions of dollars routed through an intermediary company called Bellimissa Holdings, registered in the British Virgin Islands, departed from this stated arrangement. According to investigators, approximately US$7 million of the funds paid by the Sri Lankan government was allegedly misappropriated, with only a portion reaching the intended Ukrainian recipient.
Investigators determined that the agreement signed on July 26, 2006, was allegedly fraudulent. The Air Force had made payments to Bellimissa Holdings, which maintained minimal physical presence in London—reportedly consisting of only a registered address, desk, and chair—before transferring received funds to a secret account in the British Virgin Islands. Former Air Force Commander Roshan Goonetileke recorded a statement with the FCID for over five hours on the matter the day before Rajapaksa's appearance.