The verdict in the trial of the “Football Leaks” hacker Rui Pinto was on Tuesday postponed because of an anticipated amnesty for young offenders to celebrate a papal visit to Portugal.
The judgement had been scheduled for Thursday, but the Lisbon court announced it will wait until July 31 to see if Rui Pinto is pardoned.
Pope Francis is due to visit Lisbon from August 1-6 for a series of events tied to World Youth Day on August 2. The Portuguese government has announced its intention to grant an amnesty for certain offences committed by people aged between 16 and 30.
Pinto is 34, but began publishing hacked documents on the internet at the end of 2015.
Pinto is being tried for 89 hacking offences whose victims included top Portuguese football club Sporting, investment fund Doyen Sports, the Portuguese Football Federation, a law firm and even magistrates of the Portuguese Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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He is also charged with attempted extortion, a crime punishable by between two and 10 years in prison.
An amnesty might not end his legal problems.
The Portuguese Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that it had drawn up a new indictment against Pinto, charging him with 377 new computer crimes that he is alleged to have committed between 2016 and 2019 against some 70 people, companies or institutions.
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According to the Portuguese press, the targets of these intrusions were Portuguese clubs including Benfica, as well as several companies, judges, prosecutors and even the tax authorities.
Pinto’s lawyers responded by accusing the Portuguese justice system of artificially separating these cases in order to wage “an interminable legal battle” against their client.
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