COLOMBO (Feb 6): The former CEO of SriLankan Airlines was arrested today following allegations he received bribes for a multi-billion-dollar Airbus aircraft deal, AFP reported.

Kapila Chandrasena, who was the chief executive officer of Sri Lanka's national carrier in 2013 when the Airbus purchase was made, was remanded in custody for two weeks after being charged with money laundering and bribery.

His wife, Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayaka, was also arrested on money laundering charges, AFP reported.

On Feb 3, Reuters reported that the office of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a statement that Sri Lanka will conduct "a comprehensive investigation into reports of allegations over financial irregularities" after Airbus agreed to settle a corruption probe with regulators.

Sri Lanka was among the countries whose officials were mentioned as having allegedly received bribes in Airbus's US$4-billion settlement with European and US authorities.

Detailed findings from Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said Airbus had hired the wife of a SriLankan Airlines executive as its intermediary and misled UK export credit agency UKEF over her name and gender, while paying US$2 million to her company.

On Monday, a senior official at SriLankan Airlines said a Colombo court had issued orders to arrest the former CEO of the airline, Kapila Chandrasena, and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake as suspects of money laundering.