Man City whistleblower to lose witness protection

What the report says

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese computer hacker and Football Leaks founder who provided documents that helped trigger scrutiny of Manchester City’s finances, is reported to be losing access to Portugal’s witness protection programme. According to the source material cited by Nile Post, the programme is due to end on 10 October, and Pinto says that leaves him at risk because of threats he believes are serious enough to force him to move to an undisclosed location.

The documents Pinto released in 2018 included emails and financial records involving Manchester City and were shared with German magazine Der Spiegel, which later used them in reporting on alleged financial fair play breaches. The wider fallout has continued, with City recently found guilty of all charges related to alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, a ruling the club has appealed.

Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with authorities and provide files from Football Leaks. He has since described himself as a whistleblower, although he was also convicted in Portugal on charges including illegal access to data and attempted extortion, receiving a suspended sentence. He was later acquitted in a separate case involving access to email accounts.

The case matters because it sits at the intersection of football finance investigations, digital leaking, and witness safety. The article also notes that Pinto’s lawyers say related legal proceedings remain ongoing, including the Manchester City matter.