Greek journalist calls bank list case political revenge

Greek editor Costas Vaxevanis speaks on the phone outside a courthouse in Athens November 1, 2012. REUTERS/Yorgos Karahalis

ATHENS (Reuters) - A journalist on trial for publishing the names of more than 2,000 wealthy Greeks with Swiss bank accounts described the case on Thursday as vengeful and politically motivated.

Costas Vaxevanis faces up to two years in jail if convicted of breaking data privacy laws. The case has touched a nerve in near-bankrupt Greece, where rampant tax evasion is undermining a struggle to cut public costs and raise revenue under an EU/IMF bailout deal.