Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has been indicted after admitting on a podcast that he took an ecstasy pill at a rave in Australia in his twenties.
The prominent Marxist figurehead, who founded Greece’s leftist European Realistic Disobedience Front party, said on the podcast 3026: Human Algorithm that he only took the drug once.
The 64-year-old said ecstasy was “a terrific experience” but caused him week-long migraines, adding: “there is a price to pay”.
Varoufakis has now been summoned to court on charges of inciting others to take illegal substances – an offence punishable by a minimum of six months in prison or a penalty ranging from €500 to €50k.
“My ridiculous prosecution must be seen within the wider, West-wide, surge of an insidious new form of fascism,” said the economics professor.
“This has nothing to do with drugs, with the law, with anything related to my actual interview. It is a reflection of what has been happening to politics across the West, with Greek characteristics.”
Varoufakis’ party, which goes by the acronym Mera25, accused the rightwing New Democracy party of targeting Varoufakis because “he speaks the truth”.
“Although the Greek justice system’s stance on this case has provided much amusement to Greek society… this story is nonetheless dangerous,” a statement on Mera25’s website said.
“The idea of putting a party leader on trial for talking about his experiences with substances many decades ago is not an accidental, innocent gaffe. It is a message from a judiciary that closes its eyes to those in power and goes after whoever refuses to bend the knee.”
Before founding Mera25, Varoufakis was a member of leftwing alliance Syriza and acted as the minister of finance in 2015, in the aftermath of the Greek sovereign debt crisis.
Varoufakis is due to appear in court in December.