The pop queen pressed ahead with her plan to adopt motherless Malawian David Banda, despite increasingly angry opposition there. As legal challenges were being drawn up in Malawi, Madonna had the one-year-old child flown out on her private jet. The baby was last night en-route to South Africa with one of the singer?
s entourage. He was expected to be then put on a connecting flight to Britain. A spokeswoman for the singer said that Madonna and her husband, film-maker Guy Ritchie, had been granted an interim adoption of baby David by the courts in Malawi.
She said: He was issued a passport and a visa was granted which allows him to travel outside of Malawi. This interim adoption grants David?s new parents temporary custody for l8 months during which time they will be evaluated by the courts of Malawi per the country?
s tribal customs. It is expected the family will be reunited in the next few days. Madonna had been facing a coalition of human-rights groups in the Aids-stricken country.
They were aiming to block her bid to take custody of the child. Rather than wait to be taken to court, Madonna had David flown to South Africa. World Vision?
s child rights adviser, Philippa Lei, said: When a child has family willing but not able, due to poverty, to look after it, transporting it to another culture cannot be the best option. The charity ActionAid said: Madonna?s adoption of baby David Banda may make a difference to one child.
We believe there are better ways to help. We want long-term solutions for whole communities, not short-term fixes. Boniface Mandere, of Eye of the Child, a local child protection society, said Madonna appeared to be riding roughshod over Malawian law.
Mandere added: The court seems to have made a decision based on Madonna?s wealth. He said laws should have to be obeyed by everyone ?
even celebrities. His group may now ask for a stop order so they can ascertain what steps were taken to ensure Madonna can properly care for the child. The child was cared for by members of Madonna?
s entourage who remained behind, but a secret deal brokered yesterday allowed the youngster to leave the country. Madonna and Ritchie already have a son Rocco, six. The singer also has a daughter, Lourdes, 10, by previous love Carlos Leone.
It remains unclear whether Madonna will be allowed to bring the child into the UK. Strict British adoption rules can take a year to process.
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