Dowses face cost of Tristan upkeep

A COUPLE who adopted an Indonesian boy and then abandoned him could be ordered to pay for his upkeep until he is 18, it has emerged.

Wicklow accountant Joe Dowse and his wife Lala adopted Tristan Dowse three years ago but dumped him in an Indonesian orphanage, saying they had trouble bonding with him.

Now they could face paying out €1 million in maintenance over the next 14 years for the four-year-old, who has since been re-united with his natural mother Suranyi in Indonesia.

Attorney General Rory Brady is bringing High Court proceedings following the adoption of Tristan by the Dowses, who are understood to be living in the former Soviet Union country of Azerbaijan.

The court case is expected to result in the granting of formal custody to the natural mother and payment of maintenance by the Dowses until Tristan is 18.

They could also have to pay the hearing’s costs.

Tristan, who is an Irish citizen, will have be taken off the Irish adoption register so he can be formally returned to his mother or re-adopted.

It is understood an application sought by the Attorney General compels the Dowses to pay for maintenance and expenses, possibly by means of an attachment to earnings.

In bringing the case, Mr Brady is acting as guardian of the public interest and the rights of a citizen to ensure a solution to Tristan’s case in his interests.

The boy was left in legal limbo after the Dowses abandoned him in an orphanage in Jakarta. The couple said the adoption was legitimate but had not worked out. Indonesian authorities said it was illegal.

Anton Sweeney of Adoption Ireland said: “We would very much welcome Suranyi being granted custody by the Irish courts.

“The Indonesian authorities have ordered the adoption illegal and the Irish adoption shouldn’t stand as it is. Tristan was abandoned and the least his adoptive parents should be doing is paying compensation to Tristan’s mother for his upkeep and wellbeing.”

Before being reunited with Tristan last September Suranyi claimed that she was tricked into giving him away.