The Supreme Council of the Deputy opens an investigation into the suspension of the investigation against Rui Pinto

The Supreme Council of the Prosecutor’s Office (CSMP) has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the agreement to temporarily suspend five proceedings against Rui Pinto, the creator of Football Leaks.

The decision of the CSMP disciplinary section of June 7 is based on a request submitted by a group of lawyers representing Benfica on May 25 to conduct an investigation into the activities of the prosecutor Carlos Casimiro Nuñez of the Central Investigation Department. Criminal case (DCIAP) and the alleged approach to the defense of Rui Pinto and the national leadership of the Judicial Police (PJ), so the five trials did not move forward.

“Given the facts stated and contained in the submitted application, and since it is important to establish the veracity of the facts set forth in it, it is determined (…) the establishment of a competent investigation process,” the CSMP determination, to which Lusa had access, reads.

The document also clarifies that the initiation of the investigation process is aimed at “determining the veracity of the involvement, complaint or information, and assessing whether the exposed conduct may constitute a disciplinary offence.”

Lawyers Rui Patricio, Joao Medeiros, Paulo Zaragoza da Matta, Rui Pedro Martins, Rui Costa Pereira and David Silva Ramalho, who signed the request to the CSMP and put forward on May 31 by the journal Jornal de Notícias, referred to “a set of facts that, by themselves, can reveal not only committing offenses of a disciplinary nature, but also the practice of committing unlawful acts of a criminal law nature” in relation to the agreement to suspend the proceedings.

The decision to temporarily stay the proceedings against Rui Pinto was taken in July 2020 at the proposal of the Ministry of Public Administration (MP) through the prosecutor Carlos Casimiro Nunez, which was accepted by the investigating judge Carlos Alexandre.

These investigations involved alleged illegal access by the creator of Football Leaks to the computer systems of the State Center for IT Network Operations (CEGER), the Institute for Financial Management and Judicial Equipment (IGFEJ), Futebol Clube do Porto and emails from Benfica and the former General Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Joana Marques Vidal.

For the Benfica legal team, the agreement to temporarily suspend the proceedings may be associated with a “significant number of violations of the statutory and procedural rules.”

The application of a temporary stay of proceedings allows the defendant not to stand trial for the crimes for which he has been granted an injunction, but this mechanism can only be applied to crimes for which the criminal liability is up to five years in prison. It also requires the absence of a criminal record for crimes of a similar nature, the consent of the accused and compliance with the established rules of conduct, in this case cooperation with the authorities.

Despite the suspension of these proceedings, 34-year-old Rui Pinto is under investigation in the Football Leaks process, in which he is responsible for a total of 90 crimes: 68 for unauthorized access, 14 for breach of correspondence, six for illegal access, targeting such organizations such as Sporting, Doyen, the PLMJ law firm, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR), as well as the Sporting SAD computer sabotage and extortion attempt. The reading of the decision is scheduled for July 13.