Arabic version: تمديد حماية الشهود لروي بينتو في البرتغال

According to BBC News, Portuguese computer hacker Rui Pinto will remain under witness protection after authorities suspended a decision to remove him from the programme. Pinto, 37, had been due to leave the scheme on Saturday and had said ending the protection would place him in a “life-threatening situation”.

Pinto founded Football Leaks and released confidential football documents, including emails and financial records connected to Manchester City. In 2018, he provided documents to German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them in investigations into City’s finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.

Manchester City were recently found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The club have appealed against the decision.

Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to co-operate with authorities and provide information obtained through Football Leaks. Portugal’s Ministry of Justice said on Friday that the special security programmes commission had not adequately notified him of the grounds for ending his protection or allowed him to challenge the decision. He will have 10 days to assess a commission risk assessment which indicates a low threat to his safety. Pinto has previously been convicted of offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion, receiving a four-year suspended sentence, while earlier this year he was acquitted of 241 counts involving illegal access to email accounts of Portuguese sports bodies.