Portuguese authorities waited 83 days to inform Rui Pinto that his status as a protected witness was being withdrawn, notifying the Manchester City whistleblower only 10 days before the measure was due to expire.
Documents seen by the Guardian show that the special security programmes commission (CPES), which oversees Portugal’s witness protection programme, met on 8 and 9 July to discuss Pinto’s case. It concluded that the threat level against him was low and that the special protection measures were no longer warranted. Pinto was not informed of that decision until 30 September.
Pinto has been a protected witness since 2020, after he agreed to grant Portuguese authorities access to millions of files he had gathered before his arrest. He entered the protection programme after cooperating with the country’s justice authorities, and his disclosures have since been used by judicial, tax and sporting authorities across Europe, including the Premier League’s investigation into City’s alleged financial irregularities.
With only 10 days’ notice, Pinto was left with little time to resolve a series of immediate problems. He needs to find somewhere safe to live and to establish a way of supporting himself in a new location, while avoiding contact with family members.
The timing of the notification placed it on the same day that the Premier League’s guilty verdict against City, confirmed 24 hours earlier, was dominating headlines around the world. The authorities stood by the decision reached nearly three months earlier, despite protestations from Pinto and his lawyers that he fears for his life.
His legal team argues that the authorities should weigh his cooperation with the justice system and the continuing risks associated with his disclosures before ending his protection. Pinto’s lawyer, Francisco Teixeira da Mota, told the Guardian that an appeal against the decision would be filed this week. “The most shocking thing is the fact that he wasn’t heard before the decision was made,” he said. “It’s something that goes against the European court of human rights.”
In a press release last week, Pinto’s defence team described the decision as “an act of state terrorism”. Their outrage intensified after they learned their client had been kept in the dark for almost three months. “It says a lot,” Da Mota added.
Mounting pressure appears to have prompted a rethink. Last Saturday, Portugal’s justice minister, Rita Alarcão Júdice, was questioned by journalists about the decision. She said the authorities would review Pinto’s case and promised to respond by Saturday, the date on which his protection is due to end. “I have received various requests and we are examining them very carefully,” Júdice said. “If there has been any irregularity, or if any procedure was not handled as it should have been, that will, of course, be taken into consideration.”
The Guardian contacted the CPES on two occasions seeking details of the criteria and evidence used to determine that Pinto’s protection should be withdrawn, and on Wednesday also asked the commission to explain the 83-day gap between its decision and the notification. None of the inquiries received a response.
Pinto remains willing to cooperate with British authorities in the City case and in other investigations stemming from his findings. He handed over millions of documents to investigators in France, which can now be shared with other nations, including the UK, under international cooperation and bilateral ties.