London
(ANI):
Music
icon
Madonna
has
hit
back
at
claims
that
she
and
hubby
Guy
Ritchie
used
their
star
status
to
speed
up
the
adoption
of
Malawian
toddler
David
Banda.
The
couple
had
been
accused
of
using
their
status
to
get
round
Malawian
adoption
laws
in
their
bid
to
adopt
baby
David,
including
funding
Malawi"s
chief
welfare
officer"s
trip
to
the
UK
to
determine
whether
or
not
the
couple
were
fit
parents
to
the
toddler.
Now,
in
a
statement,
Madonna's
spokeswoman
Liz
Rosenberg
has
hit
back
at
the
claims,
and
said
that
the
adoption
was
going
according
to
plans
set
out
nearly
a
year
ago.
"The
plans
to
finalise
the
adoption
of
Madonna
and
Guy
Ritchie's
son
David
are
proceeding
as
outlined
almost
a
year
ago,
the
day
the
Malawian
Government
granted
them
their
'interim'
adoption," the
Daily
Mail
quoted
Rosenberg,
as
saying.
"There
has
been
absolutely
no
interference
with
Government
Officials
or
use
of
Madonna's
'celebrity'
to
speed
up
this
adoption
as
reported.
"All
appropriate
legal
requirements
are
being
followed,
including
a
home
visit.
"Madonna
and
her
entire
family
look
forward
to
being
granted
the
final
adoption
early
next
year
-
18
months
following
the
original
interim
adoption
order," she
added.
Baby
David
has
been
living
with
Madonna
and
Ritchie
ever
since
October
2006
after
being
placed
in
an
orphanage
by
his
father
Yohane
Banda
following
the
death
of
his
mother.
Madonna
met
baby
David
while
in
Malawi
to
launch
a
project
to
help
the
country's
two
million
Aids
orphans.