Friday, 3 April 2009

Madonna's adoption request rejected

Pop icon can't have child from Malawi

Madonna | Madonna lands in Malawi to adopt again | pictures | now magazine | celebrity gossip

Madonna arriving in Malawi

A residency requirement in Malawi has prevented Madonna from adopting a second child from that African nation, a judge and a lawyer told the Associated Press on Friday.

The news service described the judge as a witness not involved in Friday's court ruling, and the lawyer as another who was present at the time of the decision. Both the judge and the lawyer spoke on conditions of anonymity.

The residency requirement for prospective parents is 18 to 24 months in Malawi Madonna has homes in New York and London.

Madonna,50, adopted her son, David Banda, now 3, from Malawi in 2008. The move was not without its controversy, amid claims that her application received special status because of her celebrity.

The singer, a single mother, was planning to adopt 3½-year-old Mercy James, whom she first met in an orphanage in 2006. Her other children are daughter Lourdes, 12, and son Rocco, 8.

There has been no word on whether Madonna intends to appeal the ruling.

Madonna's Reaction

When her Malawian lawyer, Alan Chinula, broke the news that High Court judge Esme Chombo had rejected her petition to adopt a Malawian toddler, an incredulous Madonna 'kept wringing her hands,' a source at Kumbali Lodge, where the pop star is staying, tells PEOPLE. Madonna, who filed her adoption papers on Monday, was not present in court.

At the hearing, the judge said child welfare officers are required to find suitable prospective parents and 'not someone who just flies in and out.' In terms of the child, 'I think the welfare of Chifundo [African for 'Mercy'] will be better served if she grows within the environment of the culture of Malawi,' she said.

The judge also said that because Madonna is already assisting other orphans, Chifundo will still benefit from star's generosity.

^{By Stephen M. Silverman}