Lisbon (AFP)-Prosecutors have condemned him as a suspected hacker in Portugal, but his friends have named him a source of the public interest, an individual behind the “Luanda Leaks” leaks.
Rui Pinto, the Portuguese self-educated hacker previously connected to the football leaks, has now been the author of stunning “Luanda Leaks.”
The stories based on his latest major leak have already led Angolan public prosecutors to file charges of fraud for Isabel dos Santos, Angola’s former president’s billionaire daughter.
But while Pinto himself was named a crucible informant by fans, he faced trials for the hacking activity which led to the’ Football Leaks ‘ scandal in Portugal.
Pinto was arrested in Hungary a year ago and extradited to Portugal for the operation ‘ Football Leaks,’ whereby financial transactions and transfers involving clubs in the European top ranks were detailed.
He is a “very important European whistleblower,” his lawyers insist.
We find out that in his 2016 “Football Leaks” bundle, the millions of papers revealed tax evasion, fraud and corruption in a European company.
And Pinto claimed he leaked out of civic duty the archives of “Luanda Leaks“— taken from 715,000 papers, calling for nothing in exchange.
Self-Taught Hacker
Born in Porto Vila Nova de Gaia’s northern suburb, Pinto was largely self-teached in programming, having never earned advanced training in the area.
At the age of 23 he reportedly infiltrated a bank in the Cayman Islands and robbed € 300,000 ($330,000).
Although he denies wrongdoing, Pinto acknowledges he has taken data that shows “how the Cayman Islands are largely used for tax evasion and to launder money”.
When he was an Erasmus undergraduate, Pinto learned Budapest reading history. He didn’t graduate, but decided to remain in Hungary by contributing to his dad’s antiquity company.
In January last year, after Hungarian police arrested Pinto in Budapest, the indictment suspected Pinto of breaking into Doyen Sports investment fund programs.
In retaliation for the failure to publish information, Portuguese prosecutors say he has tried to blackmail the firm, demanding between EUR 500,000 and EUR 1 million.
The hacker states that the investment fund is called but “just to clarify they have done wrong,” and “how much they were prepared to pay,” so that no new documents are released.
Pinto, a supporter of FC Porto and Cristiano Ronaldo, said he wanted to reveal the main players in the fraudulent football business.
“Sociable and cheerful,” said Pinto’s attorneys shortly after his arrest, “in love of football and angry over his slowly getting acquainted with sports.”
The programmer, identified by family members as “friendly and cheerful,” was convicted of 90 offences.
A Portuguese person confirmed that his case would be brought to trial earlier this month.
Pinto accused the authorities of attempting to silence him so that he would not cooperate with other European countries.
His followers find out the effect already had from his hacking.
Many nations have already launched criminal investigations focused on “Football Leaks” records, like Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland.
His legal experts have said that Pinto’s latest hard drive has passed on to the PPLAAF (African Whistleblowers Protection Platform) the source material for the so-called Luanda Leaks scandal.
Dos Santos, the richest individual in Africa, is suspected of syphoning hundreds of millions of dollars in public money.
