Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker whose Football Leaks disclosures helped trigger investigations into Manchester City’s finances, is set to lose his protection under Portugal’s witness protection programme.
Pinto released confidential football documents, including emails and financial records, which were shared with German publication Der Spiegel in 2018. The material subsequently formed part of investigations into City’s finances and alleged financial fair play breaches.
The development comes days after Manchester City were found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations covering the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed the findings.
Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with authorities and provide files obtained through the Football Leaks operation. However, he said on social media that his participation is due to end on 10 October, leaving him in what he described as a “life-threatening situation”.
Manchester City whistleblower Rui Pinto set to lose witness protection
The 37-year-old claimed he had received multiple death threats and faced a serious risk of an assassination attempt. He said he had therefore been forced to relocate to an undisclosed location indefinitely.
A statement from Pinto’s lawyers also argued that ending his protection had placed him at heightened risk while legal proceedings connected to the Football Leaks disclosures remain ongoing, including the case involving Manchester City.
Pinto has previously described himself as a whistleblower but has also faced criminal proceedings in Portugal. He was convicted of offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion in 2020 and received a four-year suspended sentence. He wore a bulletproof vest during that trial amid heightened security.
Earlier this year, however, Pinto was acquitted in a separate case involving 241 charges of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to sports organisations in Portugal, including Benfica.
His legal team has criticised the decision to end his witness protection and Pinto has launched a fundraising campaign to help him deal with what he describes as the consequences of the decision by the Portuguese state.
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