Curtains rise for ex-FinMin trial over Lagarde list scandal

Former Greek socialist PASOK finance minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou stands before the court at 9 p.m. on Wednesday over charges of allegedly tampering with the Lagarde list that contained the names of more than 2,000 affluent Greeks with cash deposits at a Swiss HSBC branch. He is being held following the failed handling of the list and an effort to remove the names of three of his relatives.

The special court is convening for the first time in over two decades following the 1991 trial of former socialist PASOK prime minister Andreas Papandreou as well as other famous Greek trials concerning that of notorious former George Koskotas who spearheaded the financial scandal that brought down the PASOk government in 1989.

Judiciaries estimate that the trial could carry on for a month and a half, provided that Papaconstantinou's lawyers don't use delaying tactics throughout the procedure.

The judges presiding over the case are Nikolaos Passos and prosecutor Xeni Dimitriou-Vassilopoulou.

Papaconstantinou, who served as finance minister for Greece from October 2009 through to June 2011, under the government of George Papandreou, has denied all charges and states that he is being made a scapegoat. He said that he had asked others to investigate the Lagarde list but they failed to do so.