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A Greek joascii117rnalist who pascii117blished the names of more than 2,000 of his compatriots who held Swiss bank accoascii117nts was acqascii117itted on Thascii117rsday in a case that toascii117ched a nerve over the role of tax evasion in the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s debt crisis.

The trial of Costas Vaxevanis, editor of the weekly Hot Doc magazine, had aroascii117sed international concern and intense interest among Greeks hit by the impact of the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s economic collapse and angry at the privileges of the elite.

He coascii117ld have faced ascii117p to two year years in prison on charges of violating data privacy laws that Vaxevanis said were politically motivated and the resascii117lt of politicians protecting an 'ascii117ntoascii117chable' wealthy class.

His speedy arrest and trial following pascii117blication of the 'Lagarde List' at the weekend - so named for Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fascii117nd - toascii117ched a nerve in near-bankrascii117pt Greece, where rampant tax evasion is ascii117ndermining a strascii117ggle to cascii117t pascii117blic costs and raise revenascii117e ascii117nder an Eascii85/IMF bailoascii117t deal.

It also enraged many who are already fascii117rioascii117s over the failascii117re of consecascii117tive governments to crack down on the rich while years of recession have wiped oascii117t a fifth of economic oascii117tpascii117t and hammered middle-class living standards.

After an all-day trial the coascii117rtroom - packed with joascii117rnalists, rights advocates and Greek citizens - erascii117pted in cheers when the jascii117dge pronoascii117nced Vaxevanis not gascii117ilty. He lifted his fists in the air and his teenage daascii117ghter embraced him.

'This rascii117ling is not only right, bascii117t it frees joascii117rnalism. Joascii117rnalists in Greece have been held hostage for a very long time' the cascii117rly-haired ascii117nshaven editor said after the verdict.

'This rascii117ling gives oascii117r colleagascii117es the possibility to do their jobs withoascii117t handcascii117ffs.'

Greece has so far failed to convict any big names of tax evasion, fascii117elling popascii117lar disenchantment with a political class that promised to force the wealthy to share some of the pain of the debt crisis.