Juan Branco, French lawyer for the president of Pastef, Ousmane Sonko, in the “Adji Sarr affair”, was sentenced for violation of the secrecy of the investigation to a three-year suspension of activity, including 27 months suspended, in a case of alleged rape, this time concerning him, informs the newspaper Le Figaro.
However, the newspaper reports that on the side of the Paris Bar, it only confirms that the person concerned (Juan Branco) has appealed. This appeal is suspensive, the lawyer can therefore, immediately, continue to practice.
Indeed, in November 2021, Juan Branco was indicted for rape following a complaint filed by a 20-year-old young woman in Paris. She accused him of rape in April of the same year, following exchanges on Instagram. Placed in police custody a month later, the lawyer mentioned a consensual relationship. An investigation was opened by the Paris public prosecutor's office, entrusted to the first district of the Paris Judicial Police (1st DPJ). Thus, to defend himself, the criminal lawyer published a series of 21 tweets in the summer of 2023 on Twitter, in which he attacked the complainant, all while broadcasting extracts from the investigation file directly on Twitter. Lawyer Juan Branco did not hesitate to publish extracts from the complainant's medical examination report, but also extracts from witness interviews or messages between him and the young woman. However, the code of criminal procedure formally prohibits any legal professional from “disseminating to a third party” any document resulting from an investigation.
Thereupon, the Paris Bar Association launched proceedings against him, at the end of which he faced disbarment. After his appeal, his new appearance before the disciplinary council of the Paris Bar Association should not take place before the fall of 2025.
Juan Branco became the lawyer for Russian artist Piotr Pavlenski in the case of the broadcast in 2020 of the sexual video of former government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux, then candidate for mayor of Paris. Juan Branco was placed at the end of January under the status of assisted witness in this investigation. He is also the subject of disciplinary proceedings by the Council of the Order in the Griveaux case.
