Rui Pinto, the Football Leaks founder whose disclosures helped trigger the Premier League investigation into Manchester City, will remain in witness protection after a U-turn by Portuguese authorities.
Pinto, 37, was due to lose his protection on Saturday, and warned earlier this month that the decision put his life at risk following a series of death threats.
But Portugal's Ministry of Justice confirmed on Friday that the decision had been overturned after it emerged Pinto had not been properly informed of the reasons behind it or given a chance to challenge the ruling.
"The protection program remains in effect until a new decision is adopted by the Special Security Programs Commission," the ministry said in a statement.
Pinto's disclosures -- shared documents with German magazine Der Speigel -- included confidential emails and financial records relating to City, who were recently found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
City have appealed the verdict.
Pinto has been in Portugal's witness protection programme since 2020, when he agreed to co-operate with authorities and hand over information obtained through Football Leaks.
His lawyers had challenged the decision to end his protection, pointing to threats against his life and an assault in Lisbon in April.
The decision has now been declared "null and void," although Pinto's protection could still be removed. He will be given 10 working days to respond to a risk assessment and the reasons for the proposed withdrawal before a new decision is made.
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Pinto thanked Portugal's Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, on social media, but accused the commission responsible for his protection of acting unlawfully.
Pinto describes himself as a whistleblower, although he was handed a four-year suspended prison sentence in 2023 for offences including illegally accessing data and attempted extortion.
He was cleared of a further 241 charges earlier this year, relating to allegations that he hacked into email accounts belonging to Portuguese sports organisations, including Benfica.