Bali Nine death row inmate Myuran Sukumaran tried to bargain for his life but was told not to do so. The reformed drug runner, who is set to be executed by firing squad along with co-ringleader Andrew Chan, revealed he tried to negotiate with the police by naming the real ringleader “Mr Big” but he was rebuffed.

In a telling interview with “Sunday Night” reporter Mike Willesee, the 33-year-old Australian recalled how he tried to trade the identity of Mr Big with a lighter sentence. However, instead of holding onto the deal, they rejected his offer.

He said he knows who Mr Big is, but had asked the cameras to stop rolling before he could tell Willesee more. When the cameras were turned off, he still did not divulge the name of Mr Big out of fear for his family’s safety. However, he admitted that he had tried to use his knowledge as a bargaining chip to escape the death sentence.

“We tried with the police to get some king of co-operation thing but there weren’t really like… those were the only cards that we had to play. We tried to ask them for some leniency, but they wouldn’t. And then the lawyers advised us not to go that way,” Sukumaran revealed.

Chan, on the other hand, maintained he didn’t know Mr Big. But if he knew, he would probably use that information to bargain for his life as well.

Despite the efforts of their lawyers and the continuous representations of the Australian government to Indonesia on their behalf, it appears that their fate cannot be changed anymore. Chan and Sukumaran have already been transferred from Kerobokan prison to Nusakambangan Island where they are expected to be killed by firing squad any time this month.

They knew from the start that they would either be killed by firing squad or die of old age in prison. Neither concept held any appeal. Sukumaran told Willesee that rather than allow people to shoot him, he contemplated hanging himself in the past.

Willesee said both Chan and Sukumaran have undergone impressive transformation from being drug runners to “two decent human beings.” Chan became a Christian and had been leading bible studies inside the prison, while Sukumaran held art and computer classes. Sukumaran has recently been awarded an Associate Degree in Fine Arts by Curtin University. He started attending online classes with the Perth school while in jail.

Myuran Sukumaran Earns Associate Degree In Fine Arts

Another Bali Nine member, Scott Rush, have reportedly spoken up about the duo’s sentence. He told the Weekend Australian through a friend that he was “shocked and heartbroken” over Chan and Sukumaran’s seemingly inescapable execution.

In February, Martin Stephens also wrote to The Australian, saying it would be “more humane” to kill him now like what the Indonesian government would do to Chan and Sukumaran than let him languish in prison. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Chan, Sukumaran, Rush and Stephens are among the members of the media-dubbed Bali Nine gang. They were arrested on April 17, 2005 in Denpansar, Bali as they were trying to smuggle 8.3 kg of heroin to Australia. The other members are Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Renae Lawrence, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Matthew Norman.

Scott Rush Breaks Silence On Chan And Sukumaran’s Looming Execution

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