Interior Health’s former Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Albert de Villiers, was paid $361,656 during the 2021-22 fiscal year, according to the most recent financial statements.

That is despite him being charged with multiple child sex crimes out of Alberta, including sexual assault and sexual interference and more recently with invitation to sexual touching, voyeurism, and making sexually explicit material available to a child.

Of de Villiers’ total compensation to the end of March 2022, $189,958 was in salary. He was also paid $22,860 in benefits, $27,267 in pension, $90,094 in paid leave, and $31,477 in ‘other’ compensation.

Hired by Interior Health in Aug. 2020, de Villiers was Chief Medical Health officer for ten months until June 8, 2021.

“He was then on a general paid leave from Jun 9, 2021 to Oct. 3, 2021,” Interior Health Board Chair, Doug Cochrane, wrote in the Public Sector Executive Compensation Disclosure letter, dated May 30, 2022.

“Upon return to work on Oct. 4, 2021 he [was] reassigned to project MHO duties.”

While Interior Health confirmed to NL News last week that de Villiers was employed by the health authority, a spokesperson said they could not clarify his current employment status or whether he was paid. His name also does not appear online among the list of medical health officers employed by Interior Health.

“We are not able to provide further information due to privacy obligations and the fact this matter is before the courts,” the statement said.

The 54-year-old de Villiers was arrested in Kelowna on June 8 last year, and charged with sexual assault and sexual interference against a minor for events that allegedly took place near Grande Prairie between June 15, 2018 and July 31, 2020.

He was granted bail the following day with a number of conditions including not going near or contacting any witnesses or victims in the case, and with an order to not be in public parks, community centres, schools, daycares, or other places where people under the age of 16 might be, unless with an approved person.

de Villiers is scheduled to appear in court in January next year on those initial charges with a pre-trial conference set to begin on Oct. 21.

RCMP in Alberta also say he is scheduled to be back in court on Sept. 12 to answer to his new charges, which relate to incidents that allegedly took place between Jan. 2017 and Dec. 2019.