Luanda Leaks whistleblower: hero or criminal?
Portuguese authorities have confirmed that whistleblower and hacker Rui Pinto, who is currently awaiting trial for his involvement in the Football Leaks, was also behind the Luanda Leaks. Pinto is accused of cybercrimes and attempted blackmail. Portuguese press voices say there should be more appreciation for the role Pinto played in these revelations.
Luckily someone is robbing thugs of their sleep
Observador is delighted that hackers like Rui Pinto are keeping the corrupt of this world awake at night:
“Thanks to the Luanda Leaks, it is no longer possible today to ignore the source of Isabel dos Santos's wealth, nor the fact that in the last few decades Angola's institutions have been used for personal enrichment by a group of oligarchs and kleptocrats. In view of the failure of the traditional institutions, hackers like Rui Pinto serve as a brake on corruption in this new digital world. ... In Portugal as everywhere else in the world, there are corrupt people and groups of terrorising criminals. It is a good feeling to know that someone is robbing them of their sleep - one of the most painful torments one can be subjected to.”
No legal nit-picking in this case, please!
Público appeals to the judiciary to not focus solely on the criminal aspects of Pinto's actions:
“If the young man has to pay for the crimes he has committed, one must at least acknowledge how well-intentioned he has been in paving the way for the judiciary to expose fake football deals and wealth based on money of dubious origin. A judiciary that wants to be credible, transparent and independent must not see only the perfidious side of Rui Pinto. It must set aside the formal interpretation of the law. . . It cannot risk insisting on punishing the messenger without any regard for the content of the news he brought.”