Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto, whose leaked documents helped trigger an investigation into Manchester City’s finances, will remain in witness protection after authorities suspended a decision to remove him from the programme.
The Ministry of Justice in Portugal announced the reversal on Friday, a day before Pinto was scheduled to leave the protection scheme. The 37-year-old had warned that ending his protection would place him in a “life-threatening situation”.
Pinto, founder of the Football Leaks platform, released confidential football documents, including emails and financial records relating to Manchester City.
In 2018, he shared the documents with German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them in investigations into the English club’s finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play regulations.
Manchester City have appealed a ruling that found them guilty of charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with authorities and provide information obtained through his Football Leaks activities.
However, the Ministry of Justice said the commission responsible for special security programmes had not adequately notified Pinto of the reasons for terminating his protection or given him an opportunity to challenge the decision.
The suspension will allow Pinto 10 days to review a risk assessment conducted by the commission, which reportedly indicates that the threat to his safety is low.
Reacting to the development on X, Pinto thanked Portugal’s Justice Minister, Rita Alarcão Judice, and accused the commission of violating the law through its initial decision, describing it as a “manifest abuse of power”.
Although Pinto has portrayed himself as a whistleblower, he was convicted in Portugal of offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion. He received a four-year suspended prison sentence.
