lorax b. horne 🍉Thread on #RuiPinto trial: the verdict is due today, on the first slate of charges the alleged hacker and leaks publisher faces in Lisbon. The trial began three years ago, for events that set off in 2015 involving the publication of contracts for football players in European leagues documenting corruption in the sport. Manchester City is currently under investigation in part due to scandals that were documented by #FootballLeaks (more: https://theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/06/if-manchester-city-are-guilty-they-have-betrayed-football-as-a-spectacle) The Portuguese justice system prosecuted the alleged leaker instead of prosecuting any of the corruption that was revealed on the blog.
The court is now closed to photographers and video cameras, and we are waiting for the defendant/s and judges to enter the room. The former CEO of Doyen Sports, Nelio Lucas, is in the gallery. Lucas was the complaining witness for the extortion charge against both Rui Pinto and Anibal Pinto the lawyer who is co-accused on that charge only. #FootballLeaks
The judge has started reading the decision. Seems like many of the charges were not proven, that other individuals had access to the documents and to the data in question, and that Rui Pinto cannot be held solely responsible. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
The passwords to the affected email accounts were available to many users. There is no proven result that the meeting (with Nelio Lucas, on the extortion charge) was chosen by the police. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
There is evidence that Doyen Sports offered to hire Rui Pinto as a consultant for IT services. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Judge says he didn't know Doyen Sports was being threatened at the same time as he was being approached to act as an IT consultant. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Court says they were fully aware of the meeting between lawyer Anibal Pinto and co-defendant, and Doyen Sports based on text messages at the time. (I think?) #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Nelio Lucas and his three friends in designer suits looking like they saw a ghost, btw #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
First mention of #LuandaLeaks in the verdict, I didn't catch the context though. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Rui denied owning the Mercado de Benfica blog but had the relevant documents on his computer. He has always held he did not act alone, but he was the main point of contact for all the journalists and others who had access to the data. The court thinks he was behind the blog because it stopped posting as soon as he was detained. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
The court considers that Rui Pinto acted alone as the sole point of contact for the journalism networks and the sole publisher of the FootballLeaks and Mercado de Benfica blogs. His defense contended that when he was detained, the others involved got scared and stopped publishing, but the court considers they could have continued to contact journalists on their own. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Now the judge is discussing the court's findings on the extortion charge. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Now the judge is discussing the impact of the new amnesty law for young offenders. She just explained that the (68?) unauthorized access charges could all be combined because access to one system implied access to others. And the punishment for this crime would fall under the amnesty law as it would be less than one year in prison. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
The court finds that the charges of (opening another's correspondence) charges can be attenuated because the data release was in the public interest. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Pinto claimed constitutional protections of freedom of expression, but the constitution also protects the integrity of private communications. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
Even if it's in the public interest, the court finds you cannot fetch information by any means necessary. "You cannot fight crime by doing crime" #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
The court finds that #RuiPinto can't have whistleblower protection because he committed the crimes himself. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks #LuandaLeaks
The court also thinks he shouldn't have whistleblower protection because of the amount of information he had access to and the comparatively little amount of information he released to the public. They also comment this doesn't typically relate to hacking and to typical whistleblowing cases. #FootballLeaks #RuiPinto
The court considers that one cannot ignore the positive results of his actions and the corruption he discovered. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
The court finds that the lawyer Anibal Pinto was breaking the lawyer's code of conduct and did engage in extortion. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
She is now reading the sentencing. Two years to Anibal Pinto, two years to Rui Pinto for the extortion charges. The combined sentencing on the other charges, adds up to four years of prison for Rui Pinto for the full slate of charges. Because he has collaborated with the court on other cases, they are combining the sentences. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
She said the four year sentence is suspended, and she also levels about 20,000 euros in fines. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
The judge has asked Rui to stand for the final part of her statement. #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
One of the lawyers whose emails got hacked , and who was awarded a part of a €20,000 compensation fine the court levied against Rui Pinto, said he didn't want any of the settlement money 😂 https://expresso.pt/sociedade/2023-09-11-Qualquer-indemnizacao-que-receba-vai-para-o-IPO-nao-quero-qualquer-dinheiro-desse-senhor-disse-o-advogado-Joao-Medeiros-sobre-Rui-Pinto-f6ee01a2 "I do not want any money from this gentleman, I will have to speak calmly with my lawyer." #RuiPinto #FootballLeaks
“Qualquer indemnização que receba vai para o IPO, não quero qualquer dinheiro desse senhor”, disse o advogado João Medeiros sobre Rui Pinto
À saída do tribunal, e após se saber que Rui Pinto foi condenado a quatro anos de pena suspensa pelos crimes que cometeu enquanto "hacker" informático, João Medeiros, advogado e vítima desses crimes, pronunciou-se em relação à sentença