Greek minister resigns over Columbia degree he never got

ATHENS, Greece – A junior cabinet minister in Greece’s centre-right government has stepped down after confirming that he never received a degree for Columbia University studies listed on his resume.

In a statement Thursday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accepted the resignation of Antonis Diamataris, a deputy foreign minister for Greeks of the diaspora.

Diamataris, a New York-based publisher, had come under criticism following reports that he never graduated from an MBA course at Columbia University that was listed on his resume on the ministry website.

He later said he had attended lectures but never received the degree “for financial reasons.”

Diamataris said he resigned following “personal attacks … meant to harm the government and the prime minister.”

He was appointed when Mitsotakis’ government was sworn in in July.