Rui Pinto, the whistleblower behind the leaks that ignited the Premier League’s probe into Manchester City’s financial practices, is seeking security guarantees to assist UK authorities with their ongoing legal case. While a crowdfunding campaign has been launched to support his transition after the potential withdrawal of Portuguese police protection, Pinto has indicated his primary objective is to cooperate with international investigators, provided he is granted adequate security. The hundreds of millions of files he gathered as part of Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks are not solely in the possession of the Portuguese authorities.
The Premier League investigation, which followed Pinto’s disclosure of thousands of private documents, led an independent commission to rule against City on more than 100 charges. The tribunal determined that the club utilized “sham” contracts to artificially inflate revenue by £900 million. City have since confirmed their intention to challenge this verdict through an appeal process. That has already occurred in Portugal in relation to some of the documents disclosed by Pinto. According to the hacker, He wants to leave Portugal for a secret location.
Pinto possesses extensive knowledge regarding the records, companies, and individuals at the center of the dispute, including potential evidence that may not have been fully utilized in previous inquiries. There is a possibility that British authorities could expand their investigation beyond the existing sporting case, similar to actions taken by officials in Portugal regarding other leaked materials.
If his status as a protected witness in Portugal is officially revoked, the 37-year-old will be eligible to work with foreign agencies from October 10. He has previously assisted authorities in France, Germany, and Belgium. During the period between his 2019 arrest in Budapest and his subsequent extradition, French investigators successfully copied the files from all electronic devices in his possession, which now allows for international data sharing between nations with bilateral agreements, including the UK. He has cooperated sporadically with French, German and Belgian authorities. Should it wish to do so, the UK could now be added to that list.
Pinto’s legal representatives have formally appealed the decision to terminate his protection and have criticized the Portuguese government’s handling of his risk assessment, characterizing the move as “state terrorism.” Despite these challenges, Pinto remains focused on relocating to a secure, confidential location. According to the whistleblower’s lawyers, They had appealed against the decision and had sought to establish how the risk assessment had been carried out but had received no response.
The whistleblower’s history with witness protection programs is complex; just days before his 2019 arrest in Hungary, he was in negotiations to enter a French protection initiative before it was blocked by Portuguese authorities. Following a second trial in April of this year, Pinto was acquitted of 241 criminal counts.
As of Friday, a public fundraising effort has secured more than €19,000 (£16,530) to assist with his relocation costs as he awaits clarity on his future security status.
