The Department of Foreign Affairs is trying to ascertain whether the adoption in Indonesia of a young boy by an Irish man and his wife was legal.
Tristan Dowse (3) was adopted by Joe and Lala Dowse when he was only two months old but was left at an orphanage outside Jakarta when he was two years old. The couple said the adoption was "not working out" and felt that it was in the best interests of the child to be given up.
The Department said it has been asked by the Irish Adoption Board (IAB) to investigate the case following reports that the Indonesian authorities considered the adoption to be illegal. A spokesperson for the Department told ireland.comthey were in close contact with the Indonesian authorities.
Speaking on RTÉ this morning, Kiernan Gildea of the Irish Adoption Board (IAB) said they told the Department of Foreign Affairs the child had been abandoned. He said the IAB was in contact with the Department which, in turn, was in touch with the parents' solicitor.
The adoption has been included on a register of foreign adoptions by the Irish Adoption Board and on that basis the boy was given Irish citizenship and holds an Irish passport.
Tristan has never been to Ireland and the IAB said it has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to clarify the status of the adoption with the Indonesian authorities.