A trial lasting more than two years ended in Portugal last month with the accused, who has uncovered some of the most outrageous wrongdoing in football, waiting until the end of April to learn if he will be sent to prison.
Rui Pinto is accused of 89 hacking offences in Portugal and attempted extortion using his information.
But it’s worth remembering that were it not for Pinto it’s safe to say Manchester City would not have been charged by the FA with financial wrongdoing, including, the Premier League said in its statement, not giving a “fair view” of its sponsorship deals, not providing full details of payment to the club’s manager or staying within the Profit and Sustainability rules in breaches that spanned more than a decade. City deny this, saying that they “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all”.
In his trial, Pinto was accused of using his information to blackmail Nelio Lucas, the public face of Doyen Sports, an investment fund who were involved in major football transfers, for between 500,000 (445,000) and 1m in return for not publishing information about the organisation.
Pinto has confessed to criminality – he admitted hacking and said he regrets his actions towards Doyen – but his lawyer has argued any prison sentence should be suspended.
“I was not going to plead acquittal, it wouldn’t make sense,” his lawyer, Francisco Teixeira da Mota, said. “A suspended prison sentence would be sufficient.”
Pinto, now aged 34 but in his late 20s...
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