Head of Lazard Paris: I have been in constant contact with Tsipras and Varoufakis

In an interview to French magazine "Paris Match," Matthieu Pigasse, the head of investment bank Lazard in Paris, revealed that he has been in constant contact with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis ever since the bank was hired to advise the Greek government on its debt restructuring.

Describing the Greek government's frantic efforts to avoid bankruptcy, the French banker said that when the three men are not talking on the phone, they are constantly exchanging SMS messages, sometimes even into the small hours, their primary goal being to avoid the worst-case scenario for Greece, i.e. a painful exit from the Euro zone.

"We found Matthieu Pigasse all doped up with energy drinks, candy and Coca Cola. He just spent another weekend in Athens with a group of 15 people. Forty eight hours of incessant work for the development of a Greek rescue plan," the French magazine writes.

"Ever since the electoral triumph of SYRIZA on January 25, Lazard head has been in constant contact with Greece's charismatic Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis. Athens Stock Exchange is extremely volatile and the state coffers are empty. A race has begun. The two men stay awake until the small hours, exchanging e-mails and SMS messages," the article adds.