Oradea / Romania (RNC Correspondent) 30.05.1997

A Romanian court has adjourned for June 2 the ruling in the trial of Briton John Boast, accused of smuggling babies out of the country, court sources said on Friday.

’’ I had to postpone the ruling in Boast’s file, as well as in all other cases, because I had more than 30 trials scheduled for debates today, ’’ presiding judge Dumitru Marc told reporters after the court in the Transylvanian city Oradea, near the border with Hungary, decided to postpone the verdict.

Boast, 46, was first charged more than one year ago with smuggling a 15-month-old Romanian Roma girl over a second case -- the alleged purchase for about $60 of two-year/old Roma girl Viola Szilagy, who was taken out of Romania in June 1995. He was eventua lly freed after six months police custody.

So far, Boast has denied both charges. He faces up to five years in jail for the first offense and an additional three years on the second count if found guilty as charged.