Madonna's attempted requisition of a Malawian baby is under threat after a social worker was refused permission to visit the child in Britain.
Malawi's Minister of Women and Child Development, Kate Kainja, denied court-appointed official Penstone Kilembe permission to travel to the UK to assess the suitability of Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie as adoptive parents.Minister Kainja reportedly accused Kilembe of accepting an air ticket from Madonna and Ritchie, telling the 'Malawi News' newspaper, "We have already contacted Madonna that someone else and not Kilembe will come to asses her, because we feel Mr Kilembe personalised the whole issue when other people can go." Kilembe has denied the accusation.
The bureaucratic snag belies the highly emotive nature of the case, with the 65-group human rights coalition suggesting that the move may result in the capitulation of the adoption process.
Human rights lawyer Justin Dzonzi said, "The Minister cannot change what the court set by having another person to do the assessment, the court will not listen to anyone else apart from the one it appointed."
Madonna took the baby, David Banda, to the UK in October last year.
