Sri Lanka, May 8 -- The facts, as officially presented, are straightforward enough. Kapila Chandrasena, former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, was found dead at a Kollupitiya residence on the morning after the Colombo Magistrate's Court issued a warrant for his re-arrest, a warrant triggered by allegations that he had paid two individuals Rs 15,000 each to stand as bail sureties, effectively gaming the system that had just freed him. Police say it was a suicide by hanging. Case noted, inquiry conducted, body referred to the Judicial Medical Officer.

And yet, for a significant portion of the Sri Lankan public, the official version has barely registered. What has registered is the pattern.

Chandrasena is not the first high-profile figure entan...