Rui Pinto, the Portuguese whistleblower whose leaked documents helped trigger the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City, has received a major boost after Portuguese authorities reversed their decision to remove him from the country’s witness protection programme.
The 37-year-old, founder of Football Leaks, had been due to leave the programme on October 10 despite reportedly receiving multiple death threats and facing a serious risk of assassination.
However, Portugal’s Ministry of Justice confirmed on October 9 that the decision had been declared invalid because proper procedures had not been followed. Pinto will remain under protection while authorities reassess the risks to his safety before making a final decision.
Pinto previously offered to cooperate with UK authorities in exchange for protection, following Manchester City’s guilty verdict over financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018.