Hans Lim A Po, Jr.

Practice Areas

Hans Lim A Po, Jr. is a partner and shareholder with Lim A Po Law Firm - Advocatenkantoor Lim A Po. He joined the firm in 1991 and has been a partner since 1997. He is a member of the Bar in Suriname since 1992.

Hans acts as local counsel to a substantial part of the international mining and oil and gas companies active in Suriname. He advises on a wide range of local issues, including: exploration and exploitation rights, on- and offshore oil and gas concessions, third party rights and joint ventures.

In addition, Hans advised the mining industry in major projects, including: the capital and maintenance dredging of the waterway of the Suriname river, the production of the Bakhuis bauxite mine in the Western part of Suriname, as well the sale of BHP Billiton Suriname's shares to Alcoa. And he advised on the joint venture in regard to the offshore Block 58 of Suriname.

Hans is also involved in banking and commercial in cross-border settings, and advised in the Euro 28,000,000 refinancing of the Suriname Bridges Project, and in the US.$. 24,000,000 refinancing of the Kersten Group, as well as the acquisition of a bakery in Guyana by the Suriname Fernandes Group. He further advised on a bonds issue for the financing of a benchmark eco-tourism resort in Suriname, and the joint-venture of Argos Cementos and Vensur.

Hans has substantial expertise and experience in litigating before the Caribbean Court of Justice in Original Jurisdiction:

In 2012, he successfully defended Suriname in a high profiled case against claims for breach of the external common market established by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, in proceedings brought by a person before the Caribbean Court of Justice http://www.worldcourts.com/ccj/eng/decisions/2012.02.23_Hummingbird_Rice_Mills_Ltd_v_Suriname.htm

In 2014 and 2017, Hans successfully filed for breach of the internal common market established by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas http://www.worldcourts.com/ccj/eng/decisions/2014.05.08_Beverages_v_Guyana.htm

http://www.worldcourts.com/ccj/eng/decisions/2017.05.09_SM_Jaleel_v_Cooperative_Republic_of_Guyana.htm

Hans was a speaker on "Joint Ventures" at the Suriname Oil & Gas Summit Online Matching Event, hosted in 2023 by Staatsolie.

Hans has been a guest expert on the live interactive online panel discussion at the "2021 Virtual Course on Caribbean Community Law & The Caribbean Court of Justice" on "Litigating in the Original Jurisdiction" organized by the Shridath Ramphal Centre of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.

Hans is a graduate of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands (Civil Law 1990), and of New York University School of Law in New York, USA, (Comparative Jurisprudence 1991). In 2015, Hans graduated 'with merit' and First in his Class from FHR School of Law (Master Program in International and Comparative Law).