Dalton Bennett and Fanis Karabatsakis report:
A magazine publisher was acquitted on Thursday of breaching privacy laws by printing a list allegedly naming Greeks with bank accounts in Switzerland. The list has touched off a fierce debate in the nearly bankrupt country after governments failed to use it to check for possible tax evasion by rich depositors.
The Athens misdemeanors court gave no reason for its verdict, which followed a closely-watched trial that supporters of Costas Vaxevanis had portrayed as a test of Greek press freedom.
“This decision … allows journalists to do their job,” said Vaxevanis, the publisher of Hot Doc magazine.
A prosecutor had called for Vaxevanis’ conviction during the 11-hour trial. If convicted, he would have faced a maximum two-year jail sentence and a fine.
Read more on ABC News.