Former auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides stirred things up during his first appearance as MP at a House parliamentary committee on Thursday, demanding the Audit Office hand over internal documents.

His target: his successor at the Audit Office, Andreas Papaconstantinou.

Michaelides, who in September 2024 was sacked as auditor-general due to conduct unbecoming, demanded that the Audit Office hand over minutes of their meetings having to do with procedural matters – such as the approval of audits and their start and finish dates.

This drew a reaction from current auditor-general Papaconstantinou, asserting that the House committee has no oversight over the Audit Office.

“The Audit Office is at your disposal at any time,” he told MPs.

“You can invite us to brief you about our services and the way we operate. But I have an objection: the House audit committee has no oversight over the Audit Office.”

But Michaelides doubled down, citing a law which he claimed obliges the Audit Office to comply.

“It’s not a matter of opinion. The audit committee is the controller of the Audit Office,” he said.

Coming back, Papaconstantinou said that if MPs insist, he’d seek a legal opinion.

His objection is that, unlike reports issued by the Audit Office, the minutes of meetings are an internal departmental document, not to be shared with parliament.

Following the spat, the auditor-general briefed MPs on upcoming reports by the Audit office. These will relate to Guaranteed Minimum Income, the use of buses, the licensing of hotels, and the campaign expenses of MPs during the recent elections in May.