Maintains his innocence ... Neil Chidiac, convicted for drug trafficking.

NEIL CHIDIAC always maintained he was innocent. A maximum 20-year jail sentence did nothing to dampen his protestations.

Now, nearly 28 years after he allegedly conspired with others to import a trafficable amount of heroin, it looks like he might finally be on a path to redemption.

His lawyers will seek a review next month of his conviction in the NSW Supreme Court, arguing in part that they have evidence that was not available at his trial in the 1980s.

Mr Chidiac, previously from Coogee but now from Bowral, was convicted in February 1989 for the conspiracy to import heroin. He was sentenced to 20 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 14 years, backdated to include time spent on remand.

He was released on parole on February 10, 1997.

His wife, Cassie, has spent the years since her husband's conviction piecing together evidence and campaigning for her husband's case to be reopened.

This included a meeting with the Attorney-General to request for a retrial because of new evidence, including information that came out in the 1999 Wood Royal Commission.

His long-time solicitor, Peter Katsoolis, said he did not wish to go into detail about the review or the evidence uncovered.

However, he confirmed an application was under way.

''We are optimistic that the evidence we have uncovered may lead to some disquiet about the jury's verdict, based on the available evidence at the time,'' he said on Wednesday.

"We will need to satisfy the Supreme Court that we have evidence and that there has been a miscarriage of justice,'' Mr Katsoolis said.