Valve's former economist is going on trial in Greece for mentioning he took ecstasy 36 years ago

Yanis Varoufakis is probably the only Greek parliamentarian with a background in the video game industry. Before entering politics, he served as economist-in-residence at Valve, then in 2015 was elected to parliament and appointed finance minister of Greece. He now leads MeRA25 – the European Realistic Disobedience Front, a party he founded as part of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025.

According to Reuters, Varoufakis now faces trial on charges of promoting drug use. The cause: an admission on a podcast that he once took ecstasy in 1989, at a Kylie Minogue concert in Australia.

In a video response, Varoufakis explained that the comment came in answer to a direct question and couldn't reasonably be read as advocacy.

"Determined not to do a Bill Clinton," he said, "remember that laughable 'I didn't inhale' quip? I said I had. Apart from pot, I told them I had one experience 36 years ago in Sydney of taking ecstasy. It was pleasant. I danced for 16 hours non-stop effortlessly. But then, I added, it gave me such a migraine for a week that I never used again. That was my introduction to making the point that no matter how pleasant drug-taking may seem there is a price to pay."

The podcast itself is worth a look for the sheer oddness of its format. Called 3026: Human Algorithm, it frames itself as an interview conducted a thousand years from now, with hosts dressed as characters from low-budget sci-fi films asking questions on behalf of a supercomputer. The show is aimed at a younger audience, and Varoufakis recounting a wild night in Sydney during Mardi Gras is presented as a story of youthful excess. The hosts then asked why people in the 21st century didn't speak openly about drug use – and Varoufakis walked them through the then-common concept of hypocrisy.

MeRA25 isn't laughing it off. The party released a statement:

"Although the Greek justice system's stance on this case has provided a lot of laughter in Greek society, even to those who are not supporters of MeRA25 and its secretary, this story is still dangerous. The idea of putting the head of a political party on trial for mentioning his experience with drugs many decades ago is not a random and innocent blunder. It is a message of a justice system that turns a blind eye to power and hunts down anyone who does not kneel before it."