Curriculum Vitae
"Robert Tibbo is a Canadian national, born and raised in Montreal, Quebec Canada. He was educated at McGill University. Montreal, Quebec, Canada receiving his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering. He subsequently received his law degree (LL.B) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and post-graduate work at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He would later qualify to practice law in Hong Kong after obtaining his Post-Graduate Certificate in Laws form the University of Hong Kong.
Based in Hong Kong he currently practices law as a barrister-at-law. He is known for his work in the areas of human rights , judicial review , and constitutional law. Tibbo's practice also includes criminal trial and appellate work. Moreover, Tibbo is a specialist in extradition law. He also handles significant cases in the areas of commercial, contract and employment law including injunctions.
Mr. Tibbo has acted for many notable clients and cases involving refugee claims and extradition including "Edward Snowden" (now in Moscow), the Snowden Refugees (still in Hong Kong), and Xiao Hui (now in Australia), in Australia's largest case of insider trading.
Mr. Tibbo successful secured Mr. Snowden's safety and security through the UNHCR in Hong Kong, facilitating his going underground in Hong Kong to avoid extraordinary rendition by the United States government and safe passage for Snowden out of Hong Kong in June 2013.
Mr. Tibbo has also been litigating in the Snowden Refugees asylum claims in Hong Kong, now at the Appeal Board stage. He has also been responsible for engaging and working with a group of Montreal lawyers to act and file refugee applications for the Snowden Refugee in Canada. A decision by the Canadian government is still pending. The Montreal based legal team has established a sponsoring NGO which also raises badly needed donations for the Snowden Refugees. That NGI is called "For the Refugees".
He has handled many criminal cases in the area of trafficking in dangerous drugs, in particular successfully acting for innocent accused one of whom was a mentally disabled victim of unscrupulous human traffickers. In 2018 Mr. Tibbo successfully brought the first legal challenge to the constitutionality of the rigid and harsh sentencing regime for drug trafficking in Hong Kong.
In the area of corporate and commercial law, Mr. Tibbo has typically acts for individuals litigating against large corporations including major global banks and insurers. His most recent litigation was against Latin America's largest stand-alone investment bank BTG Pactual. He previously successfully litigated aganst QBE Insurance Group Limited, Australia's largest global insurer.
Mr. Tibbo has been active in wider social advocacy having previously served as a director of Vision First (2013-2017) a NGO that provided humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers in Hong Kong.
As a legal advisor to the Hong Kong Helpers Campaign, Tibbo commented on the case of the Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih , concerning her ill-treatment and torture in Hong Kong and violation of her constitutional rights.
In 2012 and 2015, he has also led pro bono legal grass roots efforts systematically challenging and securing the release of dozens of asylum seekers unlawfully detained in Hong Kong's notorious CIC (Castle Peak Bay Immigration Center) immigration detention facility known as Hong Kong's gulag.
At present, Mr Tibbo continues to act for Mr. Snowden and the Snowden Refugees in Hong Kong and works with the Montreal based legal team acting for the Snowden Refugees in their application for refugee status in Canada, through the province of Quebec. Mr. Tibbo also continues to act for another forty-plus asylum seekers in Hong Kong."