BLANTYRE, Malawi — Madonna's bid to adopt a second child from Malawi was denied Friday by the African nation's government.
Court registrar Ken Manda told reporters that Madonna's bid to adopt a 4-year-old girl named Mercy James was rejected because the pop star isn't a resident of the country. She can appeal the decision to Malawi's Supreme Court.
The ruling came as a surprise since the country's child welfare minister said on Thursday they would support a second adoption. The 50-year-old singer previously drew criticism when she adopted her 3-year-old son, David Banda, from the country in 2006. Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in the country for one year before adopting, a rule that was essentially broken in her case.
Madonna's latest plan was also controversial since Malawi does not typically grant adoptions to single or divorced parents, an issue after her recent split from Guy Ritchie.
During her ruling, Judge Esimie Chombo warned against celebrity adoptions, saying they could lead to child trafficking.
"Anyone could come to Malawi and quickly arrange for an adoption that might have grave consequences on the very children that the law seeks to protect," she said, according to Reuters.
Madonna first traveled to Malawi during a charity mission in which she filmed a documentary on the poverty and AIDS crisis there. She runs the charity Raising Malawi and is also establishing a school for girls there.
Madonna arrived in Malawi last weekend. Her latest trip included a visit to an orphanage where David once lived. The pair also met with David's biological father for the first time since he left the country.
Madonna's two biological children, Lourdes 12, and Rocco, 8, have also been along for the journey.
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