File photo. [InTime News]
Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras and Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras have reignited their long-standing feud following a recent interview in which Stournaras alleged government intimidation during Tsipras’ 2016 administration.
Stournaras claimed SYRIZA officials attempted to blackmail him through a surprise tax investigation of his wife’s advertising firm after he opposed government appointments to Attica Bank’s board. He said his wife called him stating, “The entire state has come into my office, SDOE, Economic Police,” while maintaining her innocence. The investigation ultimately found no wrongdoing.
The central banker said he told Tsipras the proposed bank appointees were unacceptable because “in other times we had removed their fit and proper” certification. Tsipras responded on social media, calling the allegations “unrestrained lies” and criticizing the current government’s scandals.
Stournaras’ associates countered that while facing potential destabilization of Greece’s banking system, “she stood like granite: She endured,” referring to his wife’s resilience during the investigation.