Ceausescus Expected to Be Rescued, Lawyer Says

Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu scoffed when a military tribunal sentenced them to death and even as they faced their executioners believed state security police would rescue them at the last minute, their lawyer said in a published report today.

Nicu Teodorescu, in an interview printed in The Times of London, said he tried to prevent the Christmas Day execution of the Romanian leader and his wife by advising them to plead mental instability to charges of corruption, embezzlement and the murder of 65,000 people.

“When I suggested it, Elena in particular said it was an outrageous set-up,” said Teodorescu, who was hastily summoned to a military barracks to conduct the Ceausescus’ defense. “They felt deeply insulted, unable or unwilling to grasp their only lifeline. They rejected my help after that.”

Teodorescu, one of Bucharest’s most prominent lawyers, told the newspaper that Ceausescu showed “absolutely nothing but contempt when the tribunal delivered its verdict of death, telling the prosecutor, ‘When this is all over, I’ll have you put on trial.’ We all laughed.”

About 15 minutes after sentencing, soldiers marched the couple out of the barracks and into a yard, he said. The Ceausescus believed they were being taken to a cell but instead were hastily gunned down by a rabble of soldiers, and not an organized firing squad, he said.

“The first they knew they were about to die was when the bullets hit them,” stated Teodorescu, who said he was about 90 feet from the site. “Elena and Nicolae fell head to head. As they fell their bodies spun slightly around and they fell close to each other, about 30 centimeters apart.”

His account differed from that of film shown on state-run television, which showed the blood-splattered couple propped up against a wall. The newspaper said it was possible the bodies were moved for the benefit of the camera.

“Ceausescu was convinced all along his Securitate (secret police) would rescue him,” Teodorescu said. “I always thought that Elena was the dominant force in the partnership, but I soon came to realize Nicolae was in command. They complemented each other perfectly, like a monster with two heads.”

The lawyer said he agreed to defend the Ceausescus because “it seemed an interesting challenge.” The tribunal comprised three civilians, five judges and assessors, two prosecutors, two defense lawyers and a cameraman, said Teodorescu, the only member to give a public account.