Rui Pinto says witness protection will end as lawyers warn of safety risk

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker who released documents that led to the Premier League investigation into Manchester City, says his witness protection is due to end on 10 October. BBC Sport reported on Friday that Pinto fears for his safety and that his lawyers have warned about the consequences of removing that protection while legal proceedings connected to the leaks continue.

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Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to assist the authorities and hand over files obtained through Football Leaks. In a post on X on Friday, the 37-year-old said the decision to end his participation had forced him to arrange an indefinite move to a location he did not identify. He attributed that decision to death threats and his fear of an assassination attempt.

Those threats and the assessment of danger are Pinto’s account. BBC Sport said it had sought comment from Portugal’s Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crimes. The report did not include a response explaining the decision. In a separate statement released on Friday, Pinto’s lawyers said ending his protection would increase the risk to him, citing ongoing cases arising from the disclosures, including the Manchester City proceedings.

Pinto describes himself as a whistleblower, but his activities have also resulted in criminal proceedings in Portugal. He was convicted of offences including unlawful access to data and attempted extortion, receiving a suspended four-year sentence. Security at his first trial in 2020 was heightened, and he appeared wearing a bulletproof vest, according to the BBC.

His later legal record includes an acquittal earlier this year on 241 counts concerning illegal access to email accounts at Portuguese sports organisations, among them Benfica. Pinto has now launched a fundraising page seeking help with his situation. The BBC reported that he blamed the Portuguese state for the circumstances behind that appeal for support.

The protection dispute comes during continuing proceedings against Manchester City. In a separate report on Friday, BBC Sport confirmed that City had appealed against an independent commission’s guilty verdict concerning Premier League financial-rule breaches between 2009-10 and 2017-18. City maintain their innocence. The appeal leaves that process ongoing, as Pinto’s lawyers highlighted in their warning about his safety.