Madonna and child are one step closer to formalizing their bond.
A Malawi court clerk has confirmed that the final ruling in her and Guy Ritchie's adoption proceedings of son David Banda will take place in two weeks' time.
A court clerk told Reuters that the case was "tentatively" scheduled to be heard on April 22, 23 and 25.
The hearing, which Madonna is not required to attend, was postponed from this week by request of the pop star, who had a scheduling conflict in the U.S., likely connected to promotion of her new album, Hard Candy.
Things are looking good for the superstar couple, who first picked up 2-year-old David from a Malawi orphanage back in October 2006.
On March 25, a report filed by a probation officer at the Ministry of Women and Child Development gave its blessing to Malawi's High Court to grant final approval for the Richies to take permanent custody of the boy, citing the bang-up parenting job the London-based couple had done over the past year and a half.
"In the best interest of the child, I do recommend the petitioners to your Lordship for your consideration that they be granted an adoption order having proved that they are suitable parents and satisfied the conditions in the Interim Adoption Order," the report read.
Unfortunately, the duo's bid for permanent custody has not been without controversy.
A spokesperson for the Human Rights Consultative Committee, which once attempted to launch a legal challenge to the adoption, on Friday again voiced their concerns with the possible completion of the proceedings.
Maxwell Matewere urged the court on behalf of the committee to set up "tough guidelines," should it grant the adoption, in order to deter potential abuse of the precedent set for foreign adoptions.
"Others might apply to adopt and use the Madonna case to justify adoption, and yet they could be illegal adoptions for trafficking, organs and sexual exploitation," he said.
The nation is in the process of updating its laws in order to better facilitate foreign adoptions for its more than 1 million orphans.