New revelations about the relationship between Alexis Tsipras and the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela are coming to light, with journalist Iason Pipinis claiming that in June 2012, Tsipras received a visit from Venezuela’s Deputy Minister of European Affairs, Temir Porras — who allegedly arrived carrying a black suitcase.
“In June 2012, on the eve of national elections, when Mr. Tsipras was gaining serious momentum, he received a visit from Mr. Temir Porras, Deputy Minister of European Affairs of the Venezuelan regime, at his offices on Koumoundourou Street. A reliable source of mine from Caracas told me that Mr. Porras entered the meeting carrying a black suitcase. I assume it contained his clothes, underwear, personal items. It’s not customary for an official to carry their luggage to a formal meeting, so the information struck me as unusual — though it may well have contained a souvenir, as Venezuelans are known for their exceptional handmade crafts,” Pipinis stated during journalist Aris Portosalte’s program on SKAI Radio, raising the pointed question: “Is it true that Mr. Tsipras met with Temir Porras in Athens? What was the purpose of the meeting, and why was it never publicly announced?”
It is worth recalling that Pipinis has previously broken several significant stories, including the secret trip made by Nikos Pappas and Cypriot offshore company lawyer Artemis Artemiou to Venezuela and the Caribbean island of Margarita, Tsipras’s alleged cover-up of a sexual scandal at the Venezuelan embassy in Athens, and the undisclosed arrivals of Maduro regime government aircraft in Athens.
Pipinis revelations: Artemiou at Alexis Tsipras’s home
Referring to Pappas’s trip to Venezuela, Pipinis claimed that according to his political source in Caracas, Tsipras was personally involved in preparing the mission — and that Cypriot lawyer Artemis Artemiou had visited Tsipras at his home in the Kypseli neighborhood of Athens. “A reliable source of mine from Caracas maintains that Mr. Tsipras was involved in the preparation of the trip, and that shortly before his associates departed for Venezuela, Cypriot lawyer Artemis Artemiou, Nikos Pappas, the then-Venezuelan ambassador, and other individuals gathered at his home in Kypseli. The same source even claims that Mr. Tsipras cooked for them — prepared a meal. The question is: why was offshore lawyer Artemis Artemiou at Mr. Tsipras’s home?”
Former Venezuelan finance minister: “Political figures in Greece were funded by the regime”
Discussing the “export” of Chavismo to Europe, Pipinis cited Rafael Isea, the former Venezuelan Finance Minister who had previously revealed — through documented evidence — that Pablo Iglesias of Spain’s Podemos party received €7 million in funding from the Chavez regime. Pipinis claims Isea has further information. “I met Mr. Rafael Isea in Washington, and he confirmed to me the authenticity of the documents showing that Iglesias received funding from Venezuela. He also revealed to me that there were political figures in Greece who were funded by the Venezuelan regime. He did not name them, but given that he was a key insider of the regime, this matter may well be of significant journalistic or judicial interest.”
According to Pipinis, “Venezuela will likely hold free presidential elections by mid-2027. Maduro’s party will obviously participate and is expected to secure a considerable share of the vote. His opponents in the opposition are keen to expose the crimes and corruption scandals — including the funding of political figures across Europe — and are hoping to have written documentation to support these claims. It is estimated that approximately $500 billion from oil revenues has simply vanished.”
Alexis Tsipras’s “Ithaca”
A report by Venezuelan investigative journalism outlet Armando.info, cited by Pipinis, is drawing considerable attention. Published in 2017, the article — which covered the Pappas–Artemiou trip to Venezuela — referred to the Caribbean island of Margarita, which it linked to tax havens, as Alexis Tsipras’s “Ithaca.” The report was accompanied by an illustrative cartoon on the subject. Venezuelan journalists have wryly noted that Tsipras may have drawn inspiration from the Margarita island affair when choosing the title of his book.
