LISBON — Football Leaks founder Rui Pinto will remain in witness protection after authorities in Portugal suspended a decision to end his cover, days before he had been scheduled to leave the programme on Saturday. The 37-year-old Portuguese computer hacker, who disclosed confidential documents that helped trigger the Premier League investigation into Manchester City, had said the ruling put him in a "life-threatening situation".
Portugal's Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Friday that the decision to remove Pinto from witness protection had been reversed for the time being. The body responsible — the special security programmes commission — had not adequately "notified" Pinto of the grounds for its termination or given him the opportunity to challenge the decision. Pinto will now be given 10 days to assess a risk assessment conducted by the commission that indicates a low threat to his safety. He posted on X thanking Portugal's Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcao Judice, and said the commission's initial decision had clearly violated the law and amounted to a "manifest abuse of power".
Pinto became part of Portugal's witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to co-operate with authorities and provide information obtained through the Football Leaks operation. In 2018 he shared a tranche of confidential football documents, including emails and financial records relating to Manchester City, with German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them for investigations into the club's finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play rules. Pinto has described himself as a whistleblower, but was convicted in Portugal of offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion and given a four-year suspended sentence. He wore a bulletproof vest during his first trial in 2020, which was subject to heightened security measures, and earlier this year he was acquitted of 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to a number of sports bodies in Portugal, including Benfica.
Manchester City were recently found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. They have appealed against the decision. The case continues to cast a shadow over the club's domestic success, with Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca recently insisting City's titles were "absolutely not" tainted.