In a new twist to the David Banda- Madonna adoption saga, the boy's biological father, Yohane, is making easy money by asking journalists to pay for interviews.

Banda's aides have confirmed the development, arguing the payment is a disturbance allowance, Nation Online of Malawi reported Monday.

Several local and foreign journalists who have been to Banda's Mchinji home, about 120 km west of the capital Lilongwe, said Sunday that some people have paid as much as 100 U.S. dollars just to talk to the father.

A local journalist in company of foreign pressmen from the United Kingdom confirmed that Banda demanded money and was paid about 15,000 kwacha (over 100 dollars) for an interview.

"There is no set price but when you want to have the interview, you first meet his advisors, who will bargain with you and reach an agreement on how much you can pay," said the journalist.

Banda is also said to have demanded money from BBC reporters who refused, arguing it was unethical for them to pay for an interview.

"His advisors insisted that "no money no interview" until midnight when the reporters just paid a disturbance allowance since the interview was conducted at night," said the journalist.

Another reporter also confirmed Sunday a group he led paid Banda 100 dollars for an interview.

"What he and his advisors are saying is that Banda is being bothered by many journalists who have been flocking to his home in Mchinji from all over the world to interview him on Madonna's adoption of his son," said the source.

"In that case they are saying he is failing to do his economic activities and therefore he should benefit from the interviews the journalists are having with him day in day out," said the journalist.

The source also claimed some Japanese journalists had to sleep in Banda's village for a night because they were refusing to pay anything.

"The Japanese, however, finally paid because as they waited other journalists came who paid him [Banda], did the interviews and off they went as the Japanese waited hoping to have a free interview," said the source.

In a telephone interview, Banda's advisor MacFarlen Nyirenda confirmed the development.

"We don't have a set charge, but we can discuss on how much you can pay because you should understand that you are disturbing him. He cannot attend to his duties because of journalists," said Nyirenda when Nation also sought an interview with Banda.

Nyirenda, who said he is a brother-in-law to Banda, claimed it is unfair to disturb the man without paying him anything. Banda also uses Nyirenda as his interpreter when being interviewed by foreign journalists.

Controversy over Madonna's adoption plan has raged since she visited Malawi earlier this month on what her publicists said was a humanitarian mission to help thousands of orphans in the country.

The Malawi High Court granted on Oct. 12 Madonna and her husband film-maker Guy Ritchie, who were visiting the impoverished Southern African country, an 18-month temporary custody of the baby. During the coming 18 months the couple would be assessed whether to be granted full adoption or not.

The one-year old boy was flown to London after that and now at their home there.

Immediately word went round that Madonna would adopt a child in Malawi, debate started. Some argue that this was well and good, especially for the child.

Others said this was all wrong because although the boy's mother is dead he still had a father.

The counter argument to this was that the father had failed to look after the child and could not possibly take care of him as well as Madonna would.

The Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC), a grouping of 70 human rights organizations, attempted to stop Madonna from adopting David, through a court injunction, but failed.

They hold that Malawi adoption laws do not allow international adoption and stipulate that if one wants to adopt a Malawian child, one has to stay with the adopted child within Malawi for a period of between 18 to 24 months for Child Welfare officers to assess the suitability of the adoptive family.

Lawyer representing the HRCC, Undule Mwakasungura, told journalists that the group was not against Madonna's adoption of the child but it wanted the country's adoption laws to be followed.

"The laws were flouted and our concern is that government may set a very bad precedence that can legalize child trafficking," he said.

The boy's father said the adoption services in Malawi had never told him the procure meant that the 13-month-old David would no longer be his son, but he also said the adoption was for the best of his child, who was put into the orphanage after Banda, a 32-year- old peasant farmer, failed to look after him after the infant's 28- year-old mother, Marita, died barely seven days after giving birth to the child.

Madonna, 48, insists she has acted "according to the law like anyone else who adopts a child."

In later reports from Malawi, Yohane Banda said that he supported Madonna, and he criticized the human rights activists who want the courts to review the process.

"I am surprised what these guys are up to," he told reporters outside the courtroom where a hearing on the case was held on October 27.

"I don't want my child, who is already gone, to come back. I will be killing his future," he said.

He said he was unable to look after David. Judge Andrew Nyirenda then set another hearing for Nov. 13 to allow the lawyers for the human right group to submit additional arguments on why the adoption process should be reviewed.

The government has, however, stood its ground that as far as it was concerned no law has been broken or bent in the processing of David's adoption by Madonna.

Madonna has meanwhile said she is "disappointed" by media coverage of her bid to adopt the baby, saying it will discourage others from doing the same.

She said she witnessed conditions in Malawi that were the equivalent of a "state of emergency."

"I think if everybody went there, they'd want to bring one of those children home with them and give them a better life."

The pop star funds six orphanages through her Raising Malawi charity and is setting up an orphanage for 4,000 children in a village outside the capital city of Lilongwe.

Source: Xinhua