Berlin  - Alleged war criminal John Demjanjuk is expected to launch a last minute appeal Friday to Germany's highest court to block his trial in Munich on charges of being an accessory to the murder of thousands at a Nazi death camp.

Retired US car worker's lawyer Ulrich Busch told Berlin's daily Tagesspiegel Friday that he plans to lodge the appeal with the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.

"My client has served more than seven years in prison in Israel. A higher sentence is not to be expected now," Busch told the newspaper. "Because the Israeli custody must be factored in, the state's right to impose punishment no longer applies."

Busch said that it is unlikely the 89-year-old Demjanjuk would survive the trial, which is due to begin in November and is also likely to be Germany's last major Nazi-era war crimes trial.

The Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk was deported from the United States in May to stand trial in Munich on charges of accessory to the murder of 27,900 people at the Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Prosecutors allege he served as a guard at the camp. (dpa)