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In a recently unveiled memoir, titled Ithaki, the ex- leader Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism while he revisits the chaotic period during Greece's financial crisis.

A Controversial Choice

In Tsipras's account, Tsipras appointed the maverick academic Yanis Varoufakis to be the finance minister largely because of his worldwide fame along with his “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to public orator.

“In reality, he was, actually, more like a personality rather than an economic expert,” recalled the 51-year-old.

Conflicting Priorities

Tsipras claims how his finance chief possessed a personal agenda that included advancing his books and testing out his own economic models on Greece instead of genuinely fighting for the country's economic stability.

Tsipras noted how those discussions to stave off bankruptcy were “not only a way to secure improved terms for Greece. They were a test, a monumental chance to prove the validity of his ideas.”

Critical Talks

Amid rollercoaster discussions, Greece came dangerously close to exiting the single currency area.

At stake lay both Greece's future but also those severe austerity measures required in return for rescue loans from foreign lenders.

Failed Options

Efforts to secure funds elsewhere, such as a desperate plea to Russia to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.

Helping Greece would be equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, Putin reportedly informed Tsipras in Moscow.

Referendum Followed by Reversal

That summer, the punitive conditions were put to a public vote, an action which plunged the EU into a deeper crisis of identity.

Although the referendum was won resoundingly by voters who opposed austerity, Tsipras had little option but to reject its outcome then negotiate a rescue deal from creditors which turned out to be more severe.

Breaking Point

Tsipras revealed that he began to doubt Varoufakis quite early on.

“He was the public image of negotiation, the figure who drew publicity, who appeared on the front pages of magazines the world over … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.”

After the minister outlined a contingency plan involving creating a secondary currency as well as issuing coupons to retirees, the leader knew that it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Are you serious?”

Lasting Rebuke

In the book, Tsipras concludes that Varoufakis demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for a deal demanding complex and sensitive management.”

Tsipras further claimed that his aggressive approach left him more and more alone among peers, put Greece at risk, and assisted hardliners that were advocating a Greek exit from the euro.

This account of history has been met with anger along with stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.