Madonna’s adoption ruling delayed until Friday
A Malawian judge held a closed-door hearing Monday on Madonna’s application to adopt a second child from this southern African nation but delayed ruling on the matter until Friday, a court official said.
The 50-year-old pop star spent about an hour in court Monday in the Malawi capital of Lilongwe. Court official Thomson Ligowe confirmed that Madonna’s adoption application was adjourned until Friday but said he could not reveal any more details.
Monday’s court docket listed only the child’s name – Chifundo James, which means “Mercy” in a local language. It was not immediately known whether any of the girl’s relatives were present at the courthouse Monday.
A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the adoption proceedings say the girl is about 4 years old and her unmarried mother died soon after she was born. The girl’s father is believed to be alive but no other details were available. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is considered sensitive.
Madonna has not commented on the adoption application and did not speak to reporters Monday morning.
Madonna brought both David and Lourdes to Malawi this time, arriving Sunday. David later spent 2 1/2 hours with his biological father at an exclusive lodge where the pop star is staying.
“I was very happy to see him,” the father, Yohane Banda, told The Associated Press, adding that David did not recognize him. “He asked me who I was.”
David’s mother died when he was a month old. His father has said he believed he could not care for him alone, and that placing him in an orphanage was the best way to ensure David’s survival.
On Sunday, Madonna and Lourdes visited the Malawi village of Chinkhota and Madonna spoke to residents and looked over drawings for a new school there.
From the Associated Press via Yahoo! News.
Madonna at the High Court in Lilongwe, Malawi on Monday, March, 30, 2009. Pictures from the Associated Press via Google News.