Frenchman William Bourdon, one of Rui Pinto’s lawyers, hopes that the hacker can be released soon, now that the defense has reached an agreement with the Portuguese authorities.
Speaking to the British newspaper ‘The Guardian‘, the lawyer confirmed that his client has an agreement with the authorities to share information from two different cases, related to money laundering – one of which will be that of Isabel dos Santos – but stresses that this is a “complex game “.
“He is under house arrest, but we hope to change that condition in the coming weeks. We hope that he will be released as soon as possible and without restrictions,” said the official.
“We had a conversation with the person in charge of the investigations, with the knowledge of the public prosecutor, all because the winds have changed in Portugal. I cannot give more details, I can only confirm what I already said: step by step we are beginning to enter into a cordial relationship in the sense of cooperation. But this is complex “, he continued.
William Bourdon said that Luanda Leaks made people change their perception of their client. “If Football Leaks created an earthquake, it also created a certain hostility towards Rui Pinto because he was trying to destroy the economic wall of football. But little by little some people were seeing that Football Leaks information could be useful in order to help discover a world that is infected with crime “, he explained.
“But Luanda Leaks went to a completely different level. The most respectful Portuguese citizens and politicians are grateful to Rui Pinto for helping to speed up this investigation. They know that she [Isabel dos Santos] acquired properties in Portugal and is one of the richest people in the world. There was a change of perception in relation to my client. Suddenly there was an approach. “
Bourdon confirmed that Rui Pinto spoke to the Portuguese authorities about ‘Operation Out of Game’. The hacker will have information about this process on the 12 seized hard disks that no one can access except him.
“According to Portuguese law, the trial should take place in September. But I hope that he can then appear before the judge as a free man. That would obviously change everything,” he concluded.
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