Washington
(ANI):
Madonna
and
hubby
Guy
Ritchie
have
begun
the
next
stage
in
their
adoption
of
Malawian
toddler
David
Banda
by
opening
their
doors
to
official
Simon
Chisale.
Mr
Chisale,
Malawi's
chief
social
welfare
official,
had
replaced
Penston
Kilembe,
the
director
of
Malawi's
child
welfare
services
after
the
latter
was
accused
of
taking
money
from
Madonna
and
Ritchie.
Mr
Chisale
took
over
from
Kilembe
earlier
this
month,
and
on
Wednesday,
Sept
5,
paid
the
star
couple
a
visit
at
their
London
home
to
judge
whether
or
not
they
would
make
fit
parents
from
baby
David,
reports
Contactmusic.
Madonna,
in
the
meanwhile,
hit
back
at
claims
that
she
and
hubby
Guy
Ritchie
used
their
star
status
to
speed
up
the
adoption
of
Malawian
toddler
David
Banda.
In
a
statement,
Madonna's
spokeswoman
Liz
Rosenberg
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," Rosenberg
said.
"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,"
she
said.
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.