Angelina Jolie's adopted son Maddox may not have been an orphan after all

A former aide who helped Angelina Jolie adopt her first child, son Maddox, from Cambodia admitted that he is uncertain if the boy was an orphan from the start because he never asked about the parents.

Sarath Mounh, who ran an NGO in Cambodia at the time of the adoption, told the Daily Mail that he is "not 100% sure that Maddox was an orphan even though he came from an orphanage." He said he signed as the boy's father in legal documents so the Cambodian courts would approve the adoption quickly.

"At least one of the parents was possibly alive at the time of his adoption. But I never asked these difficult questions, nobody did," Mr. Mounh admitted, as he said that "this was happening a lot in Cambodia" wherein the babies were either "left in orphanages or sold to them by their parents because they couldn't afford to look after them."

"When it comes to money, everything is possible. This is what I kept on hearing at the time from those around Angelina: 'Make it happen,'" he continued, as he confirmed that the actress "didn't personally get involved" as "it was those around her that were handling the process" and asked him to help.

Mr. Mounh shared that he was asked to help Jolie with Maddox's adoption because of his influence in the Battambang Province, in North West Cambodia. He also felt indebted to the actress because of her generosity to his NGO, which had run health drives and provided monetary and educational support for poor farmers and children, respectively. He wanted to help and felt it was his obligation to sign the papers.

"His adoption was accepted by the law but to this day, I can't say for sure if he was an orphan, I don't think anyone can. But I don't want him to be damaged by what may come out," he lamented.

Regardless of the consequences of his revelation, Mr. Mounh shared that he only wants Maddox "to have a good life and bright future." He said he still has a "lot of love for him and Angelina," even though they have not seen each other in a long time. He now lives in Canada after he fled Cambodia in 2017 over his political activities against the government. Jolie and her representatives have yet to release a statement regarding these recent claims about Maddox's adoption.