Man City Whistleblower Rui Pinto to Remain Under Witness Protection
Portuguese authorities have suspended a decision to end witness protection for Rui Pinto, the hacker whose disclosures triggered an investigation into Manchester City.
Rui Pinto, the computer hacker whose release of documents helped initiate the Premier League's investigation into Manchester City, will continue to be protected by witness protection authorities in Portugal. The decision to end his protection, which Pinto had argued placed him in a "life-threatening situation," has been suspended.
Pinto, 37, revealed a trove of confidential football documents, including financial records and emails pertaining to Manchester City's alleged breaches of financial fair play rules. These documents were shared with German magazine Der Spiegel in 2018, leading to investigations into the English Premier League club.
Manchester City was recently found guilty of all charges related to financial regulation breaches spanning the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The club has since appealed this decision.
Pinto joined Portugal's witness protection program in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with authorities by providing information gathered through the Football Leaks operation. However, on Friday, Portugal's Ministry of Justice announced that the termination of Pinto's protection had been temporarily reversed. The special security programs commission, responsible for overseeing the program, had not adequately notified Pinto of the grounds for termination or provided him with an opportunity to contest the decision.
Pinto will now have 10 days to review a risk assessment conducted by the commission, which suggests a low threat to his safety. Following this review, a final decision on his protection status will be made.
Pinto took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his gratitude to Portugal's Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Judice. He stated that the commission's initial decision to remove him from protection had clearly violated the law and constituted a "manifest abuse of power."
While Pinto identifies as a whistleblower, he was convicted in Portugal for offenses including illegal data access and attempted extortion, receiving a four-year suspended sentence. He previously wore a bulletproof vest during his 2020 trial, which was subject to heightened security measures. Earlier this year, Pinto was acquitted of 241 charges of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to various Portuguese sports organizations, including Benfica.