A victory for Press freedom: Greek editor put on trial for daring to name 2,000 tax cheats cleared in a day



Costas Vaxevanis, editor of Hot Doc magazine, had been accused of violating privacy laws

He faced two years in jail if he had been convicted for publishing details of 2,059 Greeks with HSBC accounts in Switzerland

A Greek journalist put on trial for publishing the names of more than 2,000 tax cheats was sensationally acquitted last night.

Costas Vaxevanis was told he was a free man by an Athens court in a case which has created international concern over press freedom.

The 46-year-old had been accused of violating privacy laws by publishing the details of wealthy compatriots who have HSBC bank accounts in Switzerland. He faced up to two years in jail if convicted.

Costas Vaxevanis (centre) was acquitted earlier this month of breaching privacy laws after publishing the names of 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts. He has since been told his acquittal was 'faulty'

List: Mr Vaxevanis (left) said an anonymous source gave him a copy of the so-called 'Lagarde List' because ministers had done nothing with it

Retrial: Costas Vaxvanis (centre) was acquitted of breaching privacy laws earlier this month after publishing the names of 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts. He has now been told the acquittal was 'faulty'

Commenting on the trial before his acquittal yesterday, Mr Vaxevanis told reporters: ‘There are political motives. You see most of the names on the list are friends of the political system.’

He also claimed his prosecution was ‘targeted and vengeful’, adding: ‘There isn’t the slightest evidence to support the charges.’

But after just one day, he was sensationally acquitted – although no reason was given. ‘The court has ruled that you are innocent,’ Judge Malia Volika said. The journalist told supporters afterwards: ‘This decision allows journalists to do their job.’

Names: The list has been dubbed the 'Lagarde List' after Christine Lagarde (above), head of the IMF, who was the French finance minister when it was passed to Greek authorities

At a time of unprecedented austerity in Greece, his exposure of allegations involving £1.6billion took on huge significance. Many Greeks believe tax evasion is undermining a struggle to cut public costs and raise revenue under an EU/International Monetary Fund bailout deal.

Mr Vaxevanis, who edits the magazine Hot Doc, was arrested on Sunday after he published the list. He has always insisted that he acted in the public interest.

Before yesterday’s acquittal, his supporters had packed the courtroom as Mr Vaxevanis’s lawyers began their defence.

They questioned why the prosecution had charged him, despite no one on the list filing a complaint about privacy violation, a rare occurrence in a freedom of speech or defamation case in Greece. Marek Marczynski, of Amnesty International, said: ‘It is deeply troubling that Vaxevanis was facing criminal charges, and possibly jail time, for disclosing information in the public interest.

‘This step increases the risk that other journalists will censor themselves and refrain from legitimate criticism of the government to avoid prosecution.

‘This chilling effect would seriously undermine freedom of expression – a central purpose of which is to foster informed public debate about the functioning of government.

‘The authorities must clearly demonstrate why this severe sanction was necessary and proportionate. The right to privacy should not be used to silence criticism of the government.’



Published: Mr Vaxevanis has accused politicians of hiding the truth and protecting an 'untouchable' elite

The document at the centre of the case has been nicknamed the ‘Lagarde list’ after Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF. She was the French finance minister when it was handed to the Greek government by France over two years ago.

Mr Vaxevanis has said an anonymous source gave him a copy because ministers had done nothing with it.

The 2,059 Greeks named on the list, who have a combined £1.6billion in Swiss accounts, include dozens of prominent business figures and two former ministers.

Mr Vaxevanis’s supporters included the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea, which also published the list over 11 news pages. It made clear there was no evidence any of those named had broken tax evasion laws.

Riot police are engulfed in flame by a petrol bomb thrown by protesters earlier this month

Greece has so far failed to convict any big names of tax evasion, further alienating voters. Prime minister Antonis Samaras’s government has not commented on the accuracy of the list, although two former finance ministers have acknowledged they had copies of the document.

A former Greek minister whose name appeared on a list of tax evaders has committed suicide.

Friends of Leonidas Tzanis, who hanged himself at his home, claimed the 57-year-old had said he could no longer bear the humiliation of being publicly accused.

His brother Mihalis, 67, a retired taxi driver, said: ‘He was a self-made man. He was very sensitive and the list really affected him.’