Ex-PASOK chief, SYRIZA react to former finance minister’s allegations in new book

Allegations made in a new book by former finance minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou that SYRIZA officials asked him to provide evidence that would incriminate his successor Evangelos Venizelos (photo) over the Lagarde list affair, have provoked a reaction from the leftist party and the ex-PASOK leader.

In his book, “Game Over: The Truth About the Crisis,” Papaconstantinou gives his account of his time in office, between 2009 and 2012. He claims that during that period high-ranking figures in SYRIZA asked for information that they could use against Venizelos, who like Papaconstantinou, was criticized for not investigating potential tax evaders on the list of more than 2,000 Greeks with accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC.

The claim prompted Venizelos to accuse SYRIZA’s leadership of being “shameless opportunists.” The leftist party responded by questioning the legitimacy of the former finance ministers’ positions. “The two most unreliable figures in the Lagarde list case avoid giving a clear answer regarding how they hid in drawers the lists containing slush funds while they placed huge burdens on the Greeks,” said SYRIZA in a statement.