The reading of the verdict in the Football Leaks case, with Rui Pinto as the main defendant, was postponed on Friday due to a non-substantial change in the facts. Judge-President Margarida Alves announced that sentencing is now scheduled for July 13.
More than two and a half years after the start of the trial at the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, the release of the decision on the case of the creator of the electronic platform that shook world football in 2015 has therefore been postponed.
The presiding judge explained that the facts change “not in the exact terms of the prosecution” and gave the floor to the defense of Rui Pinto – today also representing the defendant Aníbal Pinto, given his absence in court -, who asked for 10 days . “The defense requested a time limit and, after deliberation by the court, 10 days were granted to comment”said the magistrate.
Then the The collective of judges designated May 26 for the final presentation of evidence and the reading of the verdict for July 13 at 2 p.m.
Seen by some as a hacker and by others as a whistleblower, Rui Pinto arrives at this stage with renewed awareness of the case that began on September 4, 2020, after being arrested in Hungary in early 2019. having assumed his repentance and practice of some crimes in his final intercession before the court.
“The Public Prosecution Service and the lawyers are mistaken if they think that there is no sincere remorse on my part. I will not say that my life is ruined, because I am still alive and as long as there is life there is hope.” . the law, clearly,” said the Football Leaks creator at the conclusion of the latest allegations, in January, without ceasing to praise the revelations of Luanda Leaks, which were also addressed in the trial.
During this period, Rui Pinto also strengthened his cooperation with the judicial police (PJ), which allowed him to access the computer disks seized during his arrest. On the other hand, it is known that the young man from Porto is already accused in another case of facts related to those at issue in the current trial, as on October 10 by the lawyer of the defendant, Francisco Teixeira da Mota , has come to light. 2022.
“Rui Pinto has been named a new defendant in connection with facts on trial here. The trial is three years old, but the Public Prosecution Service only named Rui Pinto as a defendant on Friday,” said the representative, leaving criticism of what he said was the was a “perverse strategy” by the Public Prosecution Service (MP).
The other defendant in this case, lawyer Aníbal Pinto, who is solely responsible for the crime of attempted extortion against Doyen, confirmed his behavior throughout the trial at the end of the last arguments and reiterated the honesty of his actions: never a crime committed in more than 60 years of my life. For the sake of my defense, I want to make it clear that at no time was my conduct criminally reprehensible.”
The MP asked for Rui Pinto to be sentenced to prison, noting that unlawful access to the servers of the Portuguese Football Federation, the Office of the Attorney General and the law firm PLMJ (all assistants in the trial) had been proven, admitting only that the computer sabotage of Sporting’s SAD has not been proven, as stated in the indictment.
Prosecutor Marta Viegas refused to classify Rui Pinto as a whistleblower and also added that the attempt to extort Nélio Lucas, former CEO of the Doyen investment fund, had been proven, a crime for which she argued that lawyer Aníbal Pinto was also charged by the court had to be sentenced. .
Rui Pinto, aged 34, is responsible for a total of 90 crimes: 68 of unauthorized access, 14 of breach of correspondence, six of unlawful access, targeting entities such as Sporting, Doyen, the law firm PLMJ, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), and also for computer sabotage to Sporting’s SAD and for extortion, in the form of attempted murder. This last crime concerns Doyen and also led to the verdict of lawyer Aníbal Pinto.
The creator of Football Leaks has been free since August 7, 2020 “because of his cooperation” with Justice and his “critical sense”, but is included in witness protection at a secret location for security reasons. and under police protection.
News updated at 10:40
Source: DN
