Comedian Chris Rock is currently facing a criminal investigation over raising a girl from South Africa in the U.S. for seven years without legally adopting her.
An elite South African police unit is looking into Ntombi-futhi Samantha's relationship with Rock and his estranged wife Malaak Compton-Rock, with one officer likening the possible crime to "child trafficking," the Daily Mail reported.
However, Compton-Rock has vehemently denied the claims through her lawyer, who says that Ntombi remains in contact with her birth parents and that she had been living with them under a written consent made by both her biological mother and father.
"The tabloid reports are false and outrageous. Malaak has never been contacted about an investigation of any sort," David Aronson, Compton-Rock's lawyer, said in a statement, according to the New York Daily News.
Aronson added that Compton-Rock is pursuing a formal adoption. "While Malaak has made strides in the adoption, she understands that inter-country adoption is a long and rigorous process, with checks and balances in both countries essential for the protection of children," he said.
Seven-year-old Ntombi-futhi Samantha was raised by the 50-year-old comedian and his 46-year-old estranged wife as their own child in New Jersey since 2008 under a tourist visa.
The couple has two other daughters namely Lola, 12, and Zahra, 10. They went their separate ways after 19 years of marriage, according to Radar Online.
