Man City whistleblower loses safe house as October deadline looms

Rui Pinto, the former hacker behind Football Leaks, was told on Wednesday that the special security programme protecting him since August 2020 will end on 10 October, his Portuguese lawyers said on Friday, warning that the loss of his safe house could leave him without police protection.

Protection programme ends

His Portuguese lawyers Francisco and Luisa Teixeira da Mota issued a joint statement with French representatives William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth, confirming the termination date. "In a few days, without having been given a prior hearing as required by law, he would lose the secure, confidential housing assigned to him and be forced to find a new home urgently, with no guarantee that police protection would be maintained," they added, describing the move as a decision with dire consequences.

Past assault and ongoing threats

The statement also highlighted that the threats against him are not merely theoretical; he was assaulted in Lisbon last April. "His situation is now critical. The threats against him are not merely theoretical; he was assaulted in Lisbon last April," the lawyers wrote, underscoring the personal danger he continues to face.

Legal background and conviction

Pinto, 37, has been a protected witness since 2020 after granting Portuguese authorities access to millions of files gathered before his arrest. A Portuguese court handed him a suspended four‑year sentence in September 2023 after finding him guilty of attempted extortion, illegal access to data and breach of correspondence.

His cooperation extended to investigators from other European countries, and his earlier hacking activities, begun in late 2015, supplied the material that sparked the Premier League probe into Manchester City’s finances.

The Football Leaks disclosures fed a consortium of European investigative media outlets, exposing questionable practices involving star players, clubs and agents, and prompting tax adjustments and judicial investigations across several jurisdictions.

Lawyers appealed the removal of his protected status, calling the decision "shameful actions" and likening it to "an act of state terrorism". They urged authorities to overturn the move, arguing that the abrupt deprivation of his protected housing plunges him into extreme precariousness.

Portuguese authorities have now deemed him low risk, advising him to avoid social media, refrain from contacting family and steer clear of crowded places. The loss of his secure accommodation on 10 October leaves him vulnerable, with his future uncertain as the legal and personal repercussions of his whistleblowing continue to unfold.