Journalist facing trial for printing 'list of Greeks with Swiss bank accounts'

A magazine publisher has gone on trial in Athens for printing an alleged list of Greeks with bank accounts in Switzerland – a topic of fierce political debate in the debt-crippled country.

Journalist Costas Vaxevanis has been charged with breaching privacy laws. The court was to rule on the case later today.

Vaxevanis was arrested after making public last week the names of more than 2,000 people who allegedly had HSBC accounts several years ago.

The list was allegedly provided to Greek tax authorities – for use in investigating possible tax evasion – in 2010 by Christine Lagarde, then France’s Finance Minister who now heads the International Monetary Fund.

Greek officials did not act on the list, citing legal issues as it had been leaked by a bank employee.