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Within his newly released personal account, named Ithaki, the ex- premier Tsipras spares no criticism as he revisits that chaotic period during Greece's financial crisis.

A Controversial Choice

As per the ex-PM's account, Tsipras selected the unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis to be his finance minister mainly because of the latter's international reputation and his “extremely attractive” skills when it came to public orator.

“He was, truthfully, more like a personality rather than an economic expert,” wrote the 51-year-old.

Clashing Priorities

The former leader alleges that Varoufakis had his own motives which included advancing his books as well as testing out his own economic models using the nation instead of genuinely fighting for the country's financial survival.

He noted how those discussions to stave off bankruptcy were “not only a method to secure improved terms for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental opportunity to prove the truth of Varoufakis's ideas.”

High-Stakes Talks

Amid volatile discussions, Greece came perilously on the brink of exiting the single currency area.

On the line lay not only Greece's destiny and the punishing austerity policies required in exchange for bailout funds by international creditors.

Unsuccessful Options

Attempts to find financing from other sources, including a desperate plea to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.

Assisting Greece was tantamount to throwing money in the trash-can, Putin reportedly told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum Followed by Reversal

That summer, the punitive bailout terms were subjected to a popular referendum, a move that plunged Europe into further crisis of identity.

Although the referendum was carried resoundingly by those who opposed austerity, the prime minister had little option but to reject its outcome and negotiate a rescue deal from creditors that proved to be even harsher.

Breaking Point

The ex-PM claimed that he began to doubt his finance minister quite early on.

“He was the public image of the talks, the man who attracted media attention, who appeared on the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”

When Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included establishing a parallel currency and distributing vouchers to retirees, Tsipras knew it was game over and asked Varoufakis: “Is this for real?”

Enduring Criticism

Within the memoir, the author concludes that Varoufakis demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for a deal that required intricate and sensitive handling.”

Tsipras also wrote how his confrontational style left him more and more alone with colleagues, endangered the country, while assisted hawks who were advocating Grexit.

The account of history has been met with fury and stunned disbelief among certain groups, while Varoufakis has so far kept a deafening silence regarding these claims.