Telegraph: Varoufakis charges £40,000 for public speeches

Citing Proto Thema’s article which revealed the lavish lecture fees

The Telegraph published an extensive article on what Proto Thema newspaper revealed regarding the enormous rates that former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis gets for public speeches.

“An email from an agent of the London Speaker Bureau, published byProto Thema, an Athens weekly, said that Mr Varoufakis now charges $60,000 (£40,000) for one speech given “outside of Europe”. The sacked minister has a sliding scale of fees, according to the email. Mr Varoufakis will speak anywhere inside Europe for $5,000 (£3,000) – and he will give a university lecture for $1,500 (£1,000).”

The London Speaker Bureau, however, did not confirm nor deny whether these were indeed the fees that Mr Varoufakis was charging, but said that “The speakers always tailor the payment depending on the nature of the event, the duration and the travel required,”.

A survey on whether Yanis Varoufakis should keep the fees he earns for public speeches runs in The Telegraph’s website giving two choices: a. He should keep the cash, b. The money should go directly to the Greek economy.

At the moment, 52% said he should keep the cash, whereas 48% said he should give the back to the Greek government.

Click here, to read the full article.