Rui Pinto, the Portuguese computer hacker whose leaked documents helped trigger the Premier League's investigation into Manchester City, will remain in witness protection after authorities in Portugal reversed a decision to remove him from the programme.

Pinto, 37, had been scheduled to leave the protection scheme on Saturday — a prospect he had previously warned placed him in a "life-threatening situation." Portugal's Ministry of Justice announced on Friday that the removal order had been suspended, citing procedural failures by the special security programmes commission, the body responsible for overseeing his protection.

Why the decision was reversed

According to the Ministry of Justice, the commission failed to adequately notify Pinto of the grounds for terminating his protection, and did not offer him the opportunity to challenge the ruling. As a result, Pinto has been granted 10 days to review a risk assessment conducted by the commission, which reportedly concludes that the threat to his safety is low.

Responding on X, Pinto thanked Portugal's Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcao Judice, and described the commission's initial decision as a clear violation of the law and a "manifest abuse of power."

The Football Leaks operation

Pinto founded Football Leaks and in 2018 shared a large cache of confidential football documents — including emails and financial records relating to Manchester City — with German magazine Der Spiegel. Those documents were used as the basis for investigations into City's finances and alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.

Manchester City were recently found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations across the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons. The club have lodged an appeal against that verdict.

Pinto entered Portugal's witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to co-operate with authorities and share information gathered through the Football Leaks operation.

Pinto's legal history

Despite identifying himself as a whistleblower, Pinto was convicted in Portugal on charges including illegal access to data and attempted extortion, receiving a four-year suspended sentence. During his first trial in 2020, he appeared in a bulletproof vest amid heightened security arrangements.

Earlier this year, however, he was acquitted of 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to several Portuguese sports organisations, including Benfica.