Lawyer Rui Pinto admits that “it is predictable that there could be some kind of conviction”.

Rui Pinto’s lawyer admitted this Friday that his client “could have foreseen the conviction” after the court delayed the verdict due to a minor change in the facts.

Speaking to reporters before leaving the court, Francisco Teixeira da Mota emphasized that it is not possible at the moment to “deduce anything” from the changes reported by the presiding judge Margarida Alves, stressing that the court document on the changed facts due to the prosecution of the Ministry of Public ( MP) filed by Football Leaks is a “complicated technical problem”.

“At that time it was clear that we are not playing here. We are people with responsibility, the defense of the accused is carried out according to the rules of intelligence, seriousness and loyalty. It is quite predictable that there may be some kind of condemnation,” said the lawyer, who declined to comment on the possible application suspended sentence: “I won’t comment on this anymore, I just read it in passing and I can’t draw any conclusions from what I read. the only conclusion I drew was that I should read it carefully, study it and see if we would demand something or not.”

Francisco Teixeira da Mota also stressed that the defendants’ defense now has 10 days to comment on the changes, noting that they occur “at different levels” of the process and declining to comment on his client’s state of mind in that finale. extension of the trial.

At the hearing of the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon scheduled for the announcement of the judgment that began about two and a half years ago, presiding judge Margarida Alves confirmed what she had already left implicit in her closing arguments and reported a change not on the merits of the facts. The panel of judges set May 26 for the final presentation of evidence and the announcement of the verdict for July 13 at 14:00.

Rui Pinto, 34, is responsible for a total of 90 crimes: 68 for unauthorized access, 14 for breach of correspondence, six for illegal access, against organizations such as Sporting, Doyen, law firm PLMJ, Portuguese Federation football. (FPF) and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), as well as for computer sabotage against SAD Sporting and for extortion in the form of an attempt. This latest crime concerns Doyen and also led to a statement by lawyer Anibal Pinto.

The creator of Football Leaks has been at large since August 7, 2020 “due to his cooperation” with the Judicial Police (PJ) and his “critical sense”, but for security reasons is placed in a witness protection program at an undisclosed location. and under police protection.