Rui Pinto
Rui Pedro Gonçalves Pinto (born 20 October 1988) is a Portuguese activist, whistleblower, creator of the Football Leaks website, and responsible for Malta Files and Luanda Leaks revelations.
Rui Pinto | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rui Pedro Gonçalves Pinto 20 October 1988 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal |
| Education | University of Porto |
| Years active | 2015–2019 |
| Organization | Football Leaks |
| Known for | Illegal computer access |
| Criminal charges |
|
| Criminal status | On trial |
| Website | footballleaks2015 |
Pinto created the Football Leaks website in September 2015, with the intention of revealing the financial picture of association football, including the tax avoidance schemes used by top players and the controversial third-party ownership models used by clubs. He is being accused of having used illegal methods to gather the data he leaked, by accessing private servers and downloading hundreds of internal documents and communications.
Pinto was arrested in Budapest, Hungary, in January 2019 at the request of the Portuguese authorities on suspicion of attempted qualified extortion, violation of secrecy and illegally accessing information. He was released in August 2020.
In July 2023, Pinto was charged for 377 crimes in a new process related to, but not limited to, illegally accessing S.L. Benfica emails and then sharing them with FC Porto's director of communication, Francisco J. Marques, who has been found guilty of publishing and manipulating the emails on Porto Canal.