Monday, 2 June 2008

Madonna - Madonna Faces Visitation Challenge By Bandas Father

MADONNA and husband GUY RITCHIE are facing a challenge to their adoption of Malawian tot DAVID BANDA - the baby's biological father wants to fight for visitation rights to the child.

The superstar couple's adoption of the two-year-old was finalised at Malawi?s High Court in May (08) - 20 months after being granted an 'interim' order allowing them to take the baby from a Malawian orphanage back to their London home.

David was left at the care home after his mother died in childbirth and his peasant farmer dad Yohane Banda was unable to provide for the then-seven-month-old baby.

But now Yohane claims government officials had promised him access his son ?every three to four years? as part of the adoption arrangement and he is looking into his legal rights to see the child.

He says, "I love the boy and it was in his best interests to put him in the orphanage.

"Because I support the adoption I would not want to put up a challenge that would reverse it, but I might challenge some aspects of the order.

"I am discussing with my family about following up on having access to the child. We will not leave things the way they are - we will do something about it."

Madonna and director Ritchie's adoption of little David has been marred by controversy ever since they brought him back to the U.K., with critics claiming the couple had been given special treatment to side-step the official adoption process.




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