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In a newly released personal account, named Ithaki, the former leader Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism while he revisits the turbulent era of Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Appointment

In the ex-PM's account, he appointed the unorthodox economist Varoufakis to be his treasury head largely because of the latter's international reputation along with Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” skills as a communicator.

“He was, actually, more of a personality rather than an economic expert,” recalled the 51-year-old.

Clashing Priorities

The former leader alleges that Varoufakis had his own agenda which included advancing his books and testing out his game theories using Greece instead of genuinely fighting for the country's financial survival.

Tsipras explained that those talks to avoid insolvency were “not only a method of achieving a better deal for Greece. They were an experiment, a monumental opportunity to prove the truth of his ideas.”

Critical Negotiations

During rollercoaster discussions, Greece came dangerously on the brink of leaving the single currency area.

On the line was both Greece's future but also the harsh austerity policies required in exchange for financial aid from foreign lenders.

Unsuccessful Alternatives

Attempts to find financing elsewhere, including an urgent appeal to Russia to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.

Helping the indebted country was equivalent to throwing money into the garbage, Putin is reputed to have informed his Greek counterpart during their meeting.

Public Vote Followed by U-Turn

That summer, those excoriating conditions were put to a popular referendum, an action which plunged Europe into deeper crisis of identity.

Even though the referendum was won resoundingly by those against the cuts, Tsipras was forced but to ignore the result then agree to a bailout package from creditors that turned out to be tougher.

Breaking Point

The ex-PM claimed how he started questioning his finance minister relatively soon.

“Varoufakis was the public image of negotiation, the man who attracted publicity, who graced the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he was enjoying his new role.”

When the minister outlined a contingency plan that included creating a secondary currency as well as issuing vouchers to pensioners, the leader said he realised it was the end and asked him: “Can you be serious?”

Enduring Criticism

Within the memoir, the author concludes that his former ally demonstrated himself “unfit for an agreement demanding intricate and delicate management.”

He further claimed how Varoufakis's confrontational style made him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, while helped hardliners that were pushing for Grexit.

This retelling of history has been met with anger along with stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has so far maintained a conspicuous quiet on the matter.