Man City whistleblower Rui Pinto has witness protection restored after fearing for his life

Rui Pinto, the whistleblower whose Football Leaks website was central to Manchester City being hit with 115 Premier League charges, has had his witness protection restored by Portuguese authorities after they acknowledged the original revocation was unlawful.

The Ministry of Justice issued a statement confirming that Pinto, 37, had not been adequately informed of the grounds for terminating the programme, nor given the opportunity to challenge the decision. He now has 10 working days to review the original withdrawal. Pinto had held protection since 2020.

City have since been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them, with a range of potential punishments pending should their appeal be dismissed.

Pinto responded to the reinstatement on social media, expressing appreciation for the intervention of Portugal’s Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, while stopping short of declaring the matter resolved. “I express my appreciation for the action taken by Portugal’s Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, who restored legality by overturning a decision made by the members of the Commission responsible for Portugal’s Witness Protection Programme, who acted in clear violation of the law and in a manifest abuse of power,” he wrote.

He was also pointed in his assessment of those who had revoked his protection in the first place. “Despite this restoration of legality, the way in which the members of the Commission have acted prevents me from placing any trust in them or feeling confident in their work,” Pinto added. “Such conduct is clearly contrary to the principles that should guide a witness protection programme, whose credibility and effectiveness depend, above all, on respect for the law, impartiality and the trust of those who rely on it.”

Prior to the reinstatement, Pinto had launched a public fundraising campaign seeking €2.5m (£2.1m), citing multiple death threats and stating he had no alternative but to relocate to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period.

He closed his statement by thanking supporters who had contributed to the campaign, but cautioned that the situation remained far from resolved despite the day’s developments.