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Within his recently unveiled personal account, titled Ithaki, the former prime minister Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism as he revisits the chaotic period during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Choice

According to the ex-PM's version, he chose the maverick academic Varoufakis to be his treasury head primarily due to his global profile and Varoufakis's very persuasive skills when it came to speaker.

“He was, truthfully, more like a personality and less of an economic expert,” wrote Tsipras.

Conflicting Agendas

The former leader alleges that his finance chief had his own motives that involved promoting his books as well as testing out his theories using the nation instead of genuinely fighting for the country's economic stability.

He wrote how those talks to stave off bankruptcy became “not just a method of achieving a better deal for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental chance to prove the truth of Varoufakis's theories.”

Critical Talks

During tense discussions, the country came perilously on the brink of leaving the eurozone.

At stake lay not only the country's destiny and the punishing austerity measures demanded in return for bailout funds by international creditors.

Unsuccessful Options

Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to purchase Greek bonds, went unanswered.

Helping Greece was tantamount to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader reportedly told Tsipras in Moscow.

Public Vote and U-Turn

In July 2015, those punitive bailout terms were put to a public vote, an action that threw Europe into a deeper existential crisis.

Even though the referendum was carried decisively by those who opposed austerity, Tsipras had little option but to ignore the result and agree to a bailout package with foreign lenders that proved to be more severe.

Breaking Point

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

“He was the public image of the talks, the figure who drew media attention, who graced the front pages of publications the world over … he gave the impression he was enjoying his new role.”

After the minister outlined a contingency plan involving creating a secondary currency and distributing coupons to retirees, the leader knew it was the end and asked Varoufakis: “Are you serious?”

Lasting Criticism

Within the book, Tsipras concludes that his former ally demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for a deal demanding intricate and delicate handling.”

Tsipras further wrote how Varoufakis's confrontational approach left him increasingly isolated with colleagues, endangered the country, and helped hawks that were pushing for Grexit.

The retelling of history has provoked anger and shock in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a deafening silence on the matter.