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Madonna Faces Visitation Challenge By Banda's Father 6/1/08
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 finalized 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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