Man City whistleblower to remain in witness protection

Football Leaks founder Rui Pinto, a 37-year-old Portuguese computer hacker, will continue to be under witness protection following a suspension of the decision to end it, according to Portugal's Ministry of Justice. Pinto was initially scheduled to leave the protection program on Saturday, a ruling he claimed had put him in a "life-threatening situation."

The hacker exposed confidential documents, including emails and financial records, related to Manchester City and the English Premier League's financial regulations. City was found guilty of breaches in 2018, and they have appealed the decision. Pinto joined Portugal's witness protection program in 2020 after cooperating with authorities and providing information from the Football Leaks operation.

However, Portugal's Ministry of Justice recently reversed its decision to remove Pinto from the program, citing inadequate notification and the opportunity to challenge the decision. Pinto thanked the Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcao Judice, and expressed his gratitude for the reversal, stating that the initial decision violated the law and was an "abuse of power."

Pinto has previously been convicted of offenses like illegal data access and attempted extortion and given a four-year suspended sentence. He also wore a bulletproof vest during his first trial in 2020. In a recent case, he was acquitted of 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to sports bodies in Portugal, including Benfica.