Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today rejected a request made by Former Navy Spokesman D.K.P. Dassanayake to leave the country for 18 months for a foreign course.

Dassanayake's passport has been impounded over the case regarding several abductions allegedly carried out by a team of navy personnel.

Dassanayake has not been named a suspect in the case.

However, the Fort Magistrate said that there was a likelihood that Dassanayake will be named a suspect in the case. Leaving the country for an extended period of time can also hinder investigations, the Magistrate observed, rejecting the request.