MALAWI: Amid a storm of criticism, the one-year-old boy from Malawi that Madonna wants to adopt was whisked out of the country on a private aircraft yesterday.
Escorted by one of the singer's bodyguards, David Banda is believed to be on his way to Britain, via South Africa, less than a week after Malawi's high court granted Madonna and her film-maker husband Guy Ritchie an order allowing them to take interim custody for 18 months.
"It is expected that the family will be reunited within the next few days," said a spokesman for the couple.
Malawian law prohibits adoptions by non-residents, but it was waived for Madonna, who has launched a campaign to alleviate poverty and publicise the plight of orphans in the country, where HIV/Aids has left almost a million children without parents.
Human rights groups had planned to file an application yesterday asking the court to block the adoption. The removal of the 13-month-old child was legal, but campaigners were angry that wealth and celebrity appeared to have smoothed Madonna's path.
Emmie Chanika, director of Malawi's Civil Liberties Committee, said: "The rich shouldn't get preferential treatment. I am fine with the idea of the adoption but I want people to go through the system." Justin Dzonzi, a lawyer for the Human Rights Consultative Committee, said the group was still seeking support from the boy's family before challenging the adoption in court.