‘Hacker’ held in Budapest over Football Leaks website and soccer investment fund cyber attack is being represented by Edward Snowden’s lawyer
- Rui Pinto, 30, was arrested under a European Arrest Warrant on Wednesday
- Portuguese authorities want to question Pinto over the football leaks scandal
- Pinto denies he is the man behind the Football Leaks whistle blower website
- He is being represented by Edward Snowden’s lawyer William Bourdon
Rui Pinto, 30, was arrested at his home in Budapest, Hungary on Wednesday
A suspected computer hacker linked to the Football Leaks scandal is being represented by Edward Snowden’s lawyer William Bourdon following his arrest in Hungary.
Rui Pinto, 30, was held on a European Arrest warrant on Wednesday at his home in Budapest.
Portuguese authorities want him extradited so they can question him about a hacking scandal involving football investment fund Doyen Sports and a number of the country’s football clubs.
Portuguese papers say French, Swiss and US investigators also want to speak to him.
Leading Lisbon tabloid Correio da Manha has linked him to an expose relating to the ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo Las Vegas rape probe.
Weekly magazine Sabado has accused university dropout Pinto, investigated in Portugal over a 2013 offshore bank hack, of creating whistleblower website Football Leaks. He has denied claims he is ‘Mr Football Leaks.’
Pinto’s legal team, said to include Mr Bourdon and a Portuguese lawyer called Francisco Teixeira da Mota, are fighting his extradition to Portugal.
He appeared in court on Friday in Budapest and was released on condition he wore an electronic tag as part of a house arrest ahead of a decision on his return to Lisbon.
Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria police confirmed the arrest of the 30-year-old on Wednesday, although they did not formally name him.
Police in Hungary said they arrested Pinto on Wednesday, pictured, on foot of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Portuguese authorities
Pinto has reportedly hired Edward Snowden’s lawyer William Bourdon to fight his case
He was later named as Rui Pinto, who comes from Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto.
A PJ spokesman said he was held on a European Arrest Warrant on suspicion of crimes of attempted extortion and violation of secrecy following an investigation involving a national Portuguese police cybercrime unit.
Carlos Cabreiro, who heads up the PJ unit confirmed ‘The arrest happened in Budapest, Hungary.
‘Portuguese police were present during the detention and the normal procedures for the detainee’s extradition to Portugal will now be followed.’
He added: ‘It’s a suspect the PJ have been looking for for some time and whose name has been widely circulated in the press.
‘The arrest is an individual one but of course we will continue to work on establishing the extent of the criminal activity.
‘It’s premature to link it to a specific target. The crimes he is suspected of carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
‘There is evidence pointing to the practice of the alleged crimes being carried out over a period of time and being harmful to several institutions, including the Portuguese state.’
Mr Bourdon, a member of the Paris Bar Association, has made a name for himself among so-called ‘whistleblowers.’
Clients he has helped defend have included former CIA employee Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and IT specialist Herve Falciani.