Pierre-Olivier Sur has been working as a criminal lawyer for the last thirty years. He specialises in all areas of criminal law, with a particular emphasis on human rights, extradition, political and white-collar cases, and has extensive international experience. In 2014 and 2015, he was President of the Paris Bar, (“Bâtonnier de Paris”), whose members total some 30,000 lawyers.
Pierre-Olivier Sur acts for States, individuals and victim groups, both in France and abroad.
Temple Garden Chambers does not accept instructions on behalf of Associate Tenants.
International Defence
Pierre-Olivier Sur has been involved in several cases in Africa and the Middle East.
From 1998, he has been representing President Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso), in particular in the Zongo case.
In 2000, he defended President Alpha Condé (Guinea) when he was a political opponent.
In 2008 and 2009, he assisted President Hissène Habré before the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
Between 2008 and 2010, he was instructed as international counsel to a large group of victims in the first case before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (Prosecutor v Kaing Guek Eav alias Duch).
From 2012 to 2014, he represented Suha Arafat in the criminal proceedings opened in France regarding the death of President Yasser Arafat.
From 2013 to 2015, he was in charge of the defence of the son of President Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal) before the Court in charge of recovering stolen assets (CREI) in Dakar.
From 2012, he has been defending, alongside Karim Khan QC, Gaddafi’s former Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmoudi in proceedings in Libya (he visited his client and assisted with some hearings in Tripoli).
Pierre-Olivier Sur also has several French clients involved in international cases, such as Maude Versini in Mexico (international child abduction case against the former Governor of Mexico), Pascal Mazurier (French diplomat accused in India) and the ALP Society in the Dropped case (helicopter crash).
The mandate of President of the Paris Bar
During his mandate as President of the Paris Bar, he was also involved in different international criminal law cases, including the Al Faris case in Lebanon, where he defended the youngest Syrian refugee sentenced to death before the Court of Cassation, and obtained one of the first dissenting Opinions against the death penalty filed by Judge Ghada Aoun.
French practice
His clientele in Paris is well known and high profile. He has intervened in famous cases such as the Sang contaminé (the infected blood case), Affaire ELF, Erika (an environmental case), and the case of Bernard Tapie (a white-collar crime case).