Madonna and Guy Ritchie flew back into the UK in the early hours of Friday morning, amidst criticism from adoption agencies and human rights groups in the UK and Malawi over their adoption of a 13 month old boy, David.

The leading child advocacy group in Malawi, Eye of the Child, said they are to seek an injunction on behalf of approximately 60 non-government organizations to stop the permanent adoption going ahead, claiming the government have not followed the law in allowing David’s (temporary) adoption to be processed so quickly.

Under Malawian law, prospective parents have to be residents of the country and have lived there for two years before adopting a child: Madonna and Guy arrived in the country less than a fortnight ago.

A spokesperson from Eye of the Child said: “It’s not like selling property. It is about safeguarding the future of a human being who, because of age, cannot express an opinion.”

“You cannot buy a child as if you are buying a house. This process is too short, applying on Tuesday, and [Thursday] the court gave the okay. I don’t think that the High Court has any information about how Madonna is when it comes to child-rearing.”

Yvette Gayford of the UK group Parent and Children Together added: “This is wrong in every sense. Adoption must never be allowed on a whim. Quick decisions like this for celebrities does not help anyone. We oppose this very strongly.”

Malawian government officials claims the restriction was sidestepped to allow the “unique chance” to give David a new life but David was not able to leave the country with his potential new parents on Friday because, according to a government official, “immigration is still trying to process his passport.”

He is currently being cared for by foster parents and members of Madonna’s staff in the capital Lilongwe but has been moved from the luxury lodge he stayed in with Madonna and Guy before their departure due to kidnapping fears.

A source told the Sunday Mirror: “David has gone from having nothing to being probably the richest child in Malawi. He’s worth a fortune and is seen as a goldmine by potential kidnappers.”

He has now being moved to a secret location until his passport is issued - but even when he is allowed out of the country under the interim custody order, it won’t be plain sailing for the family.

The Malawi government will impose restrictions on his care until permanent custody is granted including frequent monitoring. Benston Kilembe of the Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Service exlpained: “One of the conditions, is that the boy will be monitored for any abuse of his rights and if he is treated differently from the other children. The monitoring will be done by the government and if there is any abuse, the interim order might be revoked and the permanent custody of the boy will be canceled and he will be retrieved immediately.”

Madonna and Guy will also have to apply for “re-adoption” through the English courts because Malawi is not covered by the Hague Convention for Intercountry Adoption (introduced in 1993). An inside source from Westminister council’s adoption service revealed: “There are months of local authority checks before a couple can bring a child in from abroad. Madonna and Guy totally bypassed that routine.”