54-10-22.1. State auditor's access to information relating to operations of governmental entities subject to audit

54-10-22.1. State auditor's access to information relating to operations of governmental entities subject to audit. Notwithstanding any other specific sections of law, the state auditor and persons employed by the state auditor, when necessary in conducting an audit, shall have access to all information relating to operations of all governmental units or component units subject to audit except active investigatory work product of the attorney general as defined in section 44-04-19.1 and financial records and estate planning records a donor provides to a nonprofit organization affiliated with an institution under the control of the state board of higher education which provides support to and is organized and operated for the benefit of the institution. Except for active investigatory work product of the attorney general as defined in section 44-04-19.1, tax records as described in section 54-10-24, and all facts and information obtained or created by the department of financial institutions under subsection 1 of section 6-01-07.1, the state auditor may inspect any state agency's books, papers, accounts, or records that may be relevant to an ongoing audit of any other state agency or computer system audit. The state auditor and persons employed by the state auditor examining any information, which is confidential by law, shall guard the secrecy of such information except when otherwise directed by judicial order or as is otherwise provided by law.