The end of the trial of the author of the ‘Football Leaks’ revelations, tried in Portugal for hacking and attempted extortion, has been postponed because Rui Pinto could benefit from an amnesty due to the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. The reading of the judgment, which, after an initial postponement, was to take place tomorrow, has been set for July 31, the Lisbon court said in a statement. François is due to travel to Portugal on the occasion of the World Youth Days, which will be held in the Portuguese capital from August 1 to 6.
In this context, the Portuguese government announced its intention to grant an amnesty for certain offenses committed by young people aged between 16 and 30 at the time of the events. Now 34, Rui Pinto could therefore be forgiven some of the crimes for which he is responding at the trial which opened in September 2020.
The man who describes himself as a whistleblower admitted having committed illegal computer intrusions to obtain millions of documents in 2015. Transmitted to a consortium of European investigative media, this windfall of information brought to light practices doubtful involving star players, clubs and agents, which were then the subject of tax adjustments and legal investigations in several countries.