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Manchester City Whistleblower to Lose Witness Protection
Confirmed
In Short: Rui Pinto, the whistleblower whose leaks led to Manchester City's investigation, will lose his witness protection on October 10.
Rui Pinto, the whistleblower whose leaks triggered an investigation into Manchester City Football Club, says he fears for his life after being told that his witness protection would end on October 10.
Pinto, a 37-year-old Portuguese computer hacker, obtained private documents that showed City broke league rules from 2009 to 2018. He was given a suspended sentence for illegally obtaining documents, committing other cybercrimes, and attempted extortion.
Pinto's lawyers said he faces “dire consequences” after being told his witness protection would end. They noted that he would lose the secure, confidential housing assigned to him and be forced to find a new home urgently, with no guarantee that police protection would be maintained.
Pinto has been a protected witness since August 2020 after agreeing to grant Portuguese authorities access to millions of files gathered before his arrest. He was arrested in Hungary in 2019 before being extradited to Portugal, where he later cooperated with authorities.
The independent commission found City guilty of all but one of 115 charges brought against them over breaches of Premier League financial rules. City filed an appeal against the ruling as it seeks to overturn the decision and avoid potentially severe sanctions.
Pinto's legal team said ending his protection would leave him more vulnerable than at any point since he entered the programme in 2020. They described the move as a “decision with dire consequences”.
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.
Pinto says he will go into hiding for an indefinite period following the Premier League’s guilty verdict on City.
What this adds
The decision to end Pinto's witness protection despite his fears of assassination raises concerns about his safety.
The ongoing legal proceedings stemming from the leaks, including the case against Manchester City, add to the complexity of the situation.
What's confirmed
- An independent commission found City guilty of all but one of 115 charges brought against them over breaches of Premier League financial rules.
- Last week, City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, which they have appealed.
- A statement from Pinto's lawyers released on Friday said the decision to end his participation in the witness protection programme left him at heightened risk, noting legal proceedings stemming from the leaks remained ongoing, including the case against Manchester City.
- In 2018, he shared documents with German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them for investigations into City's finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.
- Pinto became part of Portugal's witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to co-operate with authorities and provide files obtained through the Football Leaks operation.
- BBC Sport has approached the Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crimes in Portugal for comment.
- "In a few days, without being heard beforehand, as required by law, he would lose the protected, confidential residence assigned to him and be forced to find new housing urgently, with no guarantee that police protection will continue," Pinto's legal team said in a statement posted on his X account.
What's still developing
- The computer hacker who tried to take down Man City What does Man City guilty verdict mean for their squad?
- The league said this week that City had used "sham" commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than 900 million pounds ($1.19 billion) over nearly a decade, resulting in inaccurate financial reporting and breaches of spending rules.
- City have denied wrongdoing and appealed the verdict.
- Trump, a native New Yorker who is deeply unpopular in the city, characterized the visit to the mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion, as a form of homecoming.
- Plus, a nonprofit in Austin, Texas, is trying to keep its city’s music scenes going by helping artists pay for health insurance.
- Plus, when friends and neighbors act as informal caregivers, they’re unlikely to receive protection for time spent away from work.