ATHENS, Greece — A Greek investigative journalist went on trial Thursday over his decision to publish the names of about 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts — a move that embarrassed Greece’s political and business elite.

Kostas Vaxevanis, who was arrested Sunday, a day after his Hot Doc magazine ran the names, is accused of violating the country’s data protection law.

Vaxevanis, who is editor of the magazine, has defended his decision to publish on the grounds that the data came from a reliable source and that it was in the public interest for it to be released.

It is known as the “Lagarde” list because it was given by Christine Lagarde, then French finance minister, to her Greek counterpart in August 2010. Lagarde is now the International Monetary Fund chief.

While it is not illegal to hold a Swiss bank account and there is no evidence that anyone broke the law, suspicious are high in Greece that some of those named in the list may have opened the accounts to avoid paying taxes to the Greek state.

A parliamentary committee is looking into why no investigation was carried out either under former Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou or his successor, Evangelos Venizelos.

The ministers said the data had been handed over to the fraud office, but officials there said they had never been formally instructed to investigate who on the list was or wasn’t dodging taxes.

French and German authorities, who were given similar lists, did pursue some of those named for tax evasion.

Greece’s media have questioned whether the authorities’ failure to probe those named for possible tax evasion might have been the result of an attempt by politicians to protect a wealthy elite.

“I did my job in the defense of public interest. I gave to the public the names that need to be investigated,” Vaxevanis said.

“Journalism is to reveal the truth when others try to hide it. Everything else is public relations,” he added, paraphrasing George Orwell.

Greek authorities now face public suspicion that they are shooting the messenger by sending Vaxevanis immediately to court, while for two years they effectively sat on the list and took no action.

Vaxevanis’ attorney, Harris Ikonomopoulos, said Thursday: “This is a case that has grave concern for the public interest, the freedom of (the) press.”

He said his client should be praised for his courage in bringing the list to light rather than taken to court.