A court official in Lilongwe confirmed to the AFP on Tuesday that Madonna has been granted permission by the Malawian High Court to adopt twin girls.
The “Like A Virgin” hitmaker, who previously denied she was visiting the country in the hopes of adopting more children, will adopt four-year-old twin girls by the names, Stella and Esther.
Confirming the exciting news, judicial spokesman Mlenga Mvula said: “I can confirm that Madonna has been granted an adoption order for two children.”
The court ruled in favour of Madonna’s request while both the singer and the girls’ birth father were present in the courtroom.
According to The Guardian, many Malawian’s have accused the court of giving Madonna special exception to laws that prevent non-residents from adopting children to take abroad.
But a lawyer for Madonna in Malawi told Reuters that, “Madonna has demonstrated over the years that she has passion for Malawi and her children, and therefore the court was satisfied and could not stop the adoption of the twins.”
Madonna sits with her biological and adopted children (L to R) David Banda, Lourdes, Mercy James, and Rocco.
Lourdes Leon, (L) is Madonna’s 20-year-old daughter from her relationship with Carlos Leon, while daughter Mercy James (R) was adopted from Malawi.
The next step will be for a government-appointed guardian to travel with Madonna back to the US to observe and report back on how the “Vogue” singer interacts with the children in their new lives.
Stella and Esther will join David Banda, 11, and Mercy James, also 11, who were previously adopted from the African country, as well as Lourdes Leon, Madonna’s 20-year-old daughter from her relationship with Carlos Leon, and Rocco Ritchie, her son from her marriage to director Guy Ritchie.
The twins have been adopted from the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, which is where the pop star’s son David, once resided.
Madonna and David attend the Grammy Awards in matching ensembles.
The pop star’s son was adopted from the same orphanage as Stella and Esther.
The happy news follows reports of her appearance at a court in the country last month.
At the time, Madonna released a statement which contradicted the judicial spokesperson on the case, who was quoted to say the singer had applied for permission to adopt.
The statement read, “I am in Malawi to check on the children’s hospital in Blantyre and my other work with Raising Malawi, and then heading home.”
She added, “The rumours of an adoption process are untrue.”
But it seems where there’s smoke, there’s fire…
Congratulations to Madonna and the whole family!
