Rui Pinto will remain under witness protection for the time being after Portuguese authorities suspended the decision to end it. The special security programmes commission (CPES) accepted that Pinto should have been given an opportunity to present his case before the decision was taken, clearing the way for the Manchester City whistleblower to challenge the withdrawal of his protection.
In a statement signed by the Ministry of Justice, the CPES was said to have recognised that Pinto had not been adequately informed of the grounds for terminating the programme, nor given the opportunity to exercise his right to challenge the decision. The commission is now expected to reconsider the matter. The protection had been due to end on Saturday.
As part of the process, the commission will provide Pinto with the risk assessment reports it says indicated a low threat to his safety. The relevant meeting took place on 9 July. Pinto was informed that his protected-witness status was coming to an end on 30 September, the day an independent commission’s guilty verdict against City, confirmed 24 hours earlier, was dominating headlines around the world. He now has 10 working days to review the documentation underpinning the decision and to respond to its reasoning and conclusions.
The prospect of losing his protection had prompted Pinto to launch a fundraising campaign aimed at securing his financial future. He has voiced fears for his own safety after receiving credible death threats and being assaulted in Lisbon last April.
Pinto’s protected-witness status dates back to April 2020, when Portugal’s judicial police (PJ) placed him under protection after he agreed to give investigators access to millions of files obtained from football clubs, companies linked to the Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos and other entities suspected of criminal activity. Dos Santos denies corruption allegations. His disclosures have informed investigations by judicial, tax and sporting authorities across Europe, including the Premier League’s inquiry into City.
His lawyers argue that the authorities must consider his cooperation with the justice system and the risks associated with his revelations before withdrawing his protection. Growing scrutiny appears to have prompted the authorities to reconsider their position. Pinto remains willing to cooperate with the British authorities investigating City and other matters arising from his disclosures, and he has also handed millions of documents to investigators in France, which can now be shared with other countries, including the UK.