The former coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda, Francisco Louçã, considered that “the ends never justify the means”, but he also praised the importance of Rui Pinto’s revelations through ‘Football Leaks’ and ‘Luanda Leaks’.
Speaking to journalists outside the Central Criminal Court of Lisbon, where he was heard as a witness at the 39th session of the ‘Football Leaks’ trial, the economist and also a member of the State Council did not hesitate to define Rui Pinto as “a whistleblower “, despite having explained that he is not a” judicial expert “to comment on how the information was obtained.
“I think that the ends never justify the means, as a general rule. Rules have to be followed and the ends must be consistent with the principles of the law. Economic crime is so well protected that having a starting point of information is the way to defend ourselves all, “said Francisco Louçã, reinforcing:” The court has to decide whether it is lawful or illicit; another thing is to know if the information is true. It does not protect a criminal, because it protects his trail well. “
For the television commentator on SIC Notícias, the revelation of ‘Luanda Leaks’, which he exposed in January 2020 – through the international consortium of investigative journalists (ICIJ) – alleged financial schemes of businesswoman Isabel dos Santos and her husband, who will have them allowed to withdraw money from the Angolan public purse through tax havens, it was “an advantage for Angola, in the first place”, but also “important” for Portugal.
“There was already previous information about how the sons of José Eduardo dos Santos and himself had accumulated a fortune. What ‘Luanda Leaks’ brought us is the concrete way in which 400 companies organized this money trafficking through successive operations, through of which the Portuguese authorities now know the abuses. This type of accurate information is the starting point for the fight against economic crime “, he sentenced.
Rui Pinto, 32, is responsible for a total of 90 crimes: 68 of undue access, 14 of violation of correspondence, six of illegitimate access, targeting entities such as Sporting, Doyen, the PLMJ law firm, the Portuguese Federation of Football (FPF) and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), and also for computer sabotage to Sporting’s SAD and for extortion, in the attempted form. This last crime concerns Doyen and was also what led to the pronunciation of the lawyer Aníbal Pinto.
The creator of Football Leaks has been free since August 7, “due to his collaboration” with the Judiciary Police (PJ) and his “critical sense”, but is, for security reasons, inserted in the protection program of witnesses in an undisclosed location and under police protection.
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