Attorney General George Savvides has been threatening Auditor General Odysseas Michaelides with his dismissal for months, addressing him in a “derogatory and humiliating manner”, Michaelides told the Supreme Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

On the last day of his cross-examination, Michaelides said it had become evident that the AG never recognised the role of the audit office, which is that of transparency.

Savvides’ lawyer Dinos Kallis argued that the auditor general’s stance before the court had changed as he realised the “enormity of the consequences” of his attitude.

Tuesday’s hearing was marred with accusations linked to corruption, crime and conflicts of interest, as the issue of golden passports came up again, along with the anti-corruption authority.

“You berated the AG for criminal offences you said he committed. This is called inappropriate conduct,” Kallis charged.

Michaelides rejected this calling it a “figment of imagination.”

An anonymous report that was forwarded by the audit service to the anti-corruption authority last year took centre stage for a large portion of the cross-examination, as Kallis put to Michaelides that he publicly accused Angelides of corruption.

Michaelides refuted the allegation telling the court “I never accused him of a crime.”

What Michaelides did point out was a conflict of interest that came with a case Angelides had handled as a lawyer in his private capacity in the past. His client had been jailed for attempted murder, and while Savvides was deputy AG the same man had criminal proceedings against him dropped.

Kallis used the example to the eight-member council of judges that even before the court, Michaelides was illustrating his inappropriate conduct, an accusation the auditor general rejected.

Michaelides stressed he did not accuse Savvides or the AG of corruption, but did state there was a conflict of interest linked to the deputy AG.

The auditor general added he had respect for the AG and the institution, which he kept despite the “humiliating and degrading” way which Savvides addressed him.

At the end of the day, it is on the AG to take the “necessary steps” to maintain the image of his service, Michaelides added, while he specified it was in the courtroom where he came to understand that an institutional clash between them had become personal on Savvides’ part.

The auditor recounted numerous examples which he said were “raw threats” from the AG and his deputy Savvas Angelides to have him dismissed.

In a previous hearing, Savvides said a president (without specifying whether it was former President Nicos Anastasiades or incumbent Nikos Christodoulides) had asked him to have Michaelides dismissed but he did not act on it.

The day’s proceedings mark an end to the cross-examination. On Friday, both teams will present their final arguments before the court issues a date to announce its final decision.