The German magazine Focus has published a critical article regarding the sudden ousting of Harris Theoharis from the position of General Secretary of Public Revenue

The report stresses that Mr. Theoharis “is the man that Greece desperately needs” and stresses that despite being “successful” he was removed from his post. The magazine claims the removal to be “a chilling political farce” and explains how Mr. Theoharis sought to overturn the tax evasion culture in Greece.

As such, the magazine argues that his removal was purely for political reasons (rather than financial) and cites Greek news reports that suggest that his removal came from the higher echelons of the Greek government. According to Focus, Mr. Theoharis was pressured into resigning by the former Finance Minister Stournaras.

The magazine points out that neither Mr. Stournaras, nor Prime Minister Antonis Samaras were able to remove Mr. Theoharis from his post, since his tenure ended in February 2018. The position of General Secretary of Public Revenue was created in order to be independent of the government, at the request of Greece’s creditors, in order to ensure transparency and efficiency.

The German magazine concludes that aside from Theodoros Pangalos, who claimed that the former General Secretary was solely responsible for the primary surplus, few have praised Mr. Theoharis for his services and achievements.