Bali 9 Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran before court this month

A. Chan and Myuran Sukumaran

An Indonesian court will begin hearing the final appeal of Bali 9 death row inmates Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran later this month.

Officials at the Denpasar District Court on Wednesday confirmed a panel of three judges would begin hearing the appeal, known as a judicial review, on September 21.

The appeal, lodged by the Sydney pair's lawyers last month, seeks to have their death sentences reduced to 20 years' prison.

Chan, 26, and Sukumaran, 29, were 2 of 9 Australians convicted over the 2005 attempt to smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin from Bali to Australia.

Despite being identified as ringleaders of the plot both maintained their innocence at their initial trial and 2 subsequent appeals.

But in the new appeal both have admitted they were part of the syndicate and express remorse for their actions.

The appeal argues both men have been successfully rehabilitated and are now role models inside Bali's Kerobokan Prison.

It argues previous rulings against the pair erred by finding them guilty of exporting drugs, even though they were caught before exportation actually occurred.

The earlier decisions were also in error because they contravened international laws, adopted by Indonesia, that reject the use of the death penalty against narcotics criminals, it argues.

4 witnesses are expected to testify at the appeal, including Kerobokan Prison head Siswanto and former Indonesian Supreme Court judge Yahya Harahap.

Prominent Australian psychologist Paul Mullen and eminent Ireland-based human rights law expert William Schabas will also be expected take the stand.

Chan and Sukumaran launched their judicial review less than a month after fellow Bali Nine death row inmate Scott Rush launched his own. That appeal returns to court on September 16.

If their judicial reviews fail the 3 men will be left with just one last chance to avoid the firing squad: clemency from Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

5 other members of drug smuggling plot - Martin Stephens, Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Si Yi Chen and Tan Duc Than Nguyen - are serving life sentences.

Stephens' judicial review is currently being considered by Indonesia's Supreme Court.

The final member of the drug ring, courier Renae Lawrence, is serving a 20-year sentence.

Source: GMANews TV, Sept. 1, 2010