Rui Pinto says that the acquittal in the Football Leaks process was a “victory of resilience, focus and clarity”. In a post on the social network X, he states that “justice has finally been done”.
Rui Pinto considers that, for seven years, he was “victim of arbitrariness by a faction of the Public Ministry” and criticizes the prosecution’s stance, considering that it was marked by an exacerbated desire for punishment.
“I take this opportunity to extend a big hug to my tireless team of lawyers and to all those who, during this long odyssey, have been by my side! Tomorrow will be another day, and the fight will certainly continue!” he writes.
In the second trial related to the ‘Football Leaks’ case, which began on January 13, 2025, Rui Pinto was tried for a total of 241 crimes (201 of qualified illegitimate access, 22 of aggravated violation of correspondence and 18 of computer damage), related to access to emails from Benfica and other entities, such as the League of clubs, law firms, judges, prosecutors, the Tax Authority and the National Internal Security Network.
Rui Pinto was convicted in the first ‘Football Leaks’ case, in September 2023, to four years suspended sentencefor attempted extortion, aggravated breach of correspondence and illegitimate access.
In November 2023, he was also sentenced to six months in prison in Francealso with a suspended sentence, for illegally accessing Paris Saint-Germain emails.
