Greek court acquits two men charged over 2021 journalist killing

ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek court on Wednesday acquitted two men who had faced charges of killing a prominent crime journalist in 2021 in a murder that gripped the nation.

George Karaivaz, a 53-year old veteran journalist for private broadcaster STAR TV and other media, was gunned down in daytime by two men on a motorbike near his home in Alimos, south of the Greek capital Athens, in April 2021.

The victim was well known to Greek audiences for his investigations and crime reports. Officials at the time described the attack as a professional hit.

In a majority ruling, a seven-judge criminal court said prosecutors had failed to prove the guilt of the two defendants beyond reasonable doubt. The two accused, siblings aged 49 and 41, had pleaded not guilty to charges of intentional murder.

During the trial, prosecutors had suggested Karaivaz's death was related to revelations the journalist was expected to make on the operation of organised crime networks in the country.

(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Conor Humphries)