Varoufakis verdedigt rampenplan: ‘Read the full statement’

De voormalige Griekse minister van Financiën Varoufakis reageert op berichten in de pers als zou hij de Griekse belastingdienst gehackt hebben, en Griekenland richting exit hebben geduwd. Ook de pers zelf krijgt een sneer.

Yanis Varoufakis heeft maandag een verklaring afgelegd waarin hij uitlegt waarom er een plan B werd opgesteld om een parallel betalingssysteem in stelling te brengen.

In de de verklaring, afkomstig van ‘the Office of Yanis Varoufakis’, wordt benadrukt dat hij gemachtigd was om zijn taak uit te voeren.

In de verklaring luidt er ook kritiek op de media voor hun ‘vergezochte’ artikelen, en wordt er ontkend dat hij (Varoufakis) ooit plannen heeft gekoesterd om de belastingnummers van de Griekse burgers te hacken.

“It is worth noting that, prior to Mr Varoufakis’ comfirmation of the existence of the said Working Group, the Minister was criticized widely for having neglected to make such contingency plans. The Bank of Greece, the ECB, treasuries of EU member-states, banks, international organisations etc. had all drawn up such plans since 2012. Greece’s Ministry of Finance would have been remiss had it made no attempt to draw up contingency plans.

Ever since Mr Varoufakis announced the existence of the Working Group, the media have indulged in far-fetched articles that damage the quality of public debate. The Ministry of Finance’s Working Group worked exclusively within the framework of government policy and its recommendations were always aimed at serving the public interest, at respecting the laws of the land, and at keeping the country in the Eurozone.

Regarding the recent article by “Kathimerini” newspaper entitled “Plan B involving highjacking and hacking”, Kathimerini’s failure to contact Mr Varoufakis for comment and its reporter’s erroneous references to “highjacking tax file numbers of all taxpayers” sowed confusion and contributed to the media-induced disinformation. The article refers to the Ministry’s project as described by Minister Varoufakis in his 6^th July farewell speech during the handover ceremony in the Ministry of Finance. In that speech Mr Varoufakis clearly stated: “The General Secretariat of Information Systems had begun investigating means by which Taxisnet (Nb. the Ministry’s Tax Web Interface) could become something more than it currently is, to become a payments system for third parties, a system that improves efficiency and minimises the arrears of the state to citizens and vice versa.” That project was not part of the Working Group’s remit, was presented in full by Minister Varoufakis to Cabinet, and should, in Minister Varoufakis’ view, be implemented independently of the negotiations with Greece’s creditors, as it will contribute considerable efficiency gains in transactions between the state and taxpayers as well as between taxpayers.

In conclusion, during the five months of negotiations that gripped Europe and changed the debate throughout the Continent, the Ministry of Finance did everything possible to serve the public interest against many odds. The current media campaign to besmirch these efforts will fail to dent the legacy of a crucial five month struggle for democracy and common sense.”