Madonna ‘ecstatic’ as adoption approved

MADONNA said she was “ecstatic” after her controversial bid to adopt a second child from Malawi was approved yesterday.

The pop star appealed after a lower court rejected her application to adopt Chifundo “Mercy” James, a four-year-old girl, in April.

The country’s highest court announced its decision to allow the adoption, saying that the lower court had failed to take modern realities into account.

A statement was later released from the United States by Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s spokeswoman.

It said: “I am extremely grateful for the Supreme Court’s ruling on my application to adopt Mercy James.

“I am ecstatic... My family and I look forward to sharing our lives with her.”

“In our view, Chifundo James is better taken care of by being adopted by foreign parents who will give her love and affection,” said Supreme court Chief Justice Lovemore Munro.

During the 90-minute court session, the judge said Madonna was financially stable and could care for three-year-old Chifundo James, whose first name translates as “Mercy”.

“We therefore grant adoption,” he added.

Madonna’s lawyer, Alan Chinula said the singer was not going come personally to fetch the child but would send her staff.

“She might leave any time next week, Madonna would not come to collect [Chifundo] but she will travel with her officials,” he said.

Chinula said he was going to prepare the child’s travel documents to join her new family.

“Madonna is excited about the ruling,” said Chinula who phoned the singer immediately after the verdict.

The 50-year-old singer was not in the country to hear the verdict, although she had attended the initial application in April, which was blocked by a lower court on the grounds that she had failed to meet an 18-month residency requirement.

Normally anyone seeking to adopt in Malawi must live in the country for at least 18 months — a requirement waived in the case of her first Malawian child, David Banda in 2006.

According to the judge, the court had taken the child’s best interest as paramount consideration when granting the adoption.

Child welfare groups and rights activists who were opposed to the singer’s efforts to take another child away from the country argued that international adoption should be viewed as a last resort, even though Malawi is home to an estimated 560,000 children who have lost at least one parent to AIDS.

Maxwell Matewere, director of Eye of the Child said: “We respect the decision of the top court and for providing direction in inter-country adoption.”

Matewere said his organisation will now work with the government to review the nation’s adoption laws.

A 24-year-old man believed to be Chifundo’s father, James Kambewa has opposed the adoption, saying he was capable of looking after the child.

But the court said the identity of Chifundo’s biological father was not known.

Her son David’s biological father has supported the adoption, saying he was “happy” about the prospect of his child growing up together with another Malawian.