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In a freshly published autobiography, named Ithaki, the former prime minister Tsipras pulls no punches as he revisits the chaotic period during Greece's debt drama.

An Unconventional Choice

In Tsipras's account, Tsipras appointed the unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis to be his finance minister largely due to his worldwide fame along with Varoufakis's highly compelling abilities as a public orator.

“He was, in reality, more like a personality and less of an economic expert,” wrote the 51-year-old.

Conflicting Agendas

Tsipras suggests how Varoufakis had a personal agenda which involved promoting his books and testing out his game theories on the nation instead of genuinely advocating its economic stability.

Tsipras explained how those talks to avoid insolvency were “not only a method of achieving improved terms for the country. They were a test, an historic opportunity to prove the truth of his economic theories.”

High-Stakes Talks

Amid tense negotiations, Greece found itself perilously on the brink of leaving the single currency area.

On the line lay both the country's destiny but also the severe austerity policies required in exchange for bailout funds from foreign lenders.

Failed Alternatives

Efforts to find financing elsewhere, including an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, were rejected.

Assisting the indebted country was equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, the Russian leader is reputed to have told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum and Reversal

That summer, those excoriating bailout terms were subjected to a popular referendum, an action which threw the EU into deeper crisis of identity.

Even though the vote was carried resoundingly by voters who opposed the cuts, the prime minister had little option but to reject its outcome and agree to a bailout package with foreign lenders that turned out to be even harsher.

Breaking Point

Tsipras claimed that he started questioning his finance minister relatively soon.

“Varoufakis was the face of the talks, the figure who attracted media attention, who graced the front pages of magazines globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”

After Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included establishing a parallel currency and issuing vouchers to pensioners, the leader said he realised it was game over and asked him: “Is this for real?”

Lasting Rebuke

Within the memoir, the author concludes how his former ally demonstrated himself “unfit for a deal that required complex and delicate management.”

Tsipras also wrote how Varoufakis's aggressive style made him increasingly isolated with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while helped hardliners that were pushing for Grexit.

The retelling of history has been met with fury and shock among certain groups, whereas Varoufakis has maintained a deafening silence regarding these claims.