Man City whistleblower Pinto to lose witness protection amid death threats

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker who founded Football Leaks, said he will go into hiding after being told his witness protection arrangement with Portuguese authorities will end on October 10. In a social media post, Pinto said he has received multiple death threats and would relocate to an undisclosed place for an indefinite period because of a serious risk of an assassination attempt. Pinto’s lawyers warned that the termination of the special security programme would have "dire consequences," saying he was not given a prior hearing as required by law and that he faces urgent loss of secure, confidential housing and uncertain continued police protection. They noted Pinto had been assaulted in Lisbon in April and that his revelations have implicated powerful figures with ongoing legal matters. The move follows an independent commission ruling that Manchester City breached Premier League financial rules in most of 115 charges spanning 2009 to 2018. Pinto has been vocal about the commission’s verdict on social media, calling it a historic decision for English football, while City has filed an appeal seeking to overturn the ruling and avoid sanctions. Pinto has been a protected witness since August 2020 after agreeing to give Portuguese authorities access to millions of files he obtained. He was arrested and later received a suspended sentence in Portugal for illegally obtaining documents, cybercrimes and attempted extortion. In response to his current situation, Pinto said he had launched a GoFundMe campaign and thanked supporters of Football Leaks, while pledging to continue his activism.