Luis Pinto warns of death threats as witness protection ends

Portuguese hacker Luis Pinto, who released a trove of Manchester City documents in 2018, says he now faces death threats after the Portuguese witness‑protection programme that shielded him since 2020 was officially terminated on 10 October, BBC reported on the 2nd.

In 2018, Pinto, founder of Football Leaks, published thousands of Manchester City emails and financial records, prompting a Premier League probe. On 29 September the league’s independent committee concluded the club had entered fictitious deals with several commercial partners to disguise more than £900 million in cost‑cutting funds between the 2009‑10 and 2017‑18 seasons.

Pinto entered Portugal’s witness‑protection scheme in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate, but the programme ended on 10 October, leaving him fearing assassination. The 37‑year‑old says he must relocate to an undisclosed safe house within days. He previously received a four‑year suspended sentence for illegal data access and attempted extortion, and was acquitted of 241 charges of unauthorised email access involving clubs such as Benfica.