Football Leaks hacker Rui Pinto acquitted of 241 counts in second Portuguese trial

• Case dismissed after court rules the charges were ‘invalid’

• 37-year-old had been accused of illegally accessing emails

Rui Pinto, the hacker behind the Football Leaks revelations that exposed dodgy dealings in world football, was acquitted on Wednesday of all charges in a second Portuguese trial, despite having previously been convicted for similar offences.

The 37-year-old had been on trial since January 2025 over 241 alleged counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to several Portuguese sports bodies, including football club Benfica, law firms, magistrates and the tax authority.