Dr. Albert de Villiers, Interior Heath’s former Chief Medical Health Officer, was paid $346,536 during the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to the health authority’s most recent financial statements.

It made him Interior Health’s second highest paid executive, behind only President and CEO, Susan Brown, who took home $449,647 in total compensation in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Interior Health confirmed it fired the 54-year-old de Villiers in February this year, one day after he was found guilty of sexual assault against a child dating back to his time as lead medical health officer for Alberta Health Service’s Northern Zone.

Of de Villiers’ total compensation to the end of March 2023, $252,916 was in salary. He was also paid $20,183 in benefits, $23,547 in pension, and $49,890 in vacation pay.

It’s unclear at this point if he could receive any compensation from Interior Health due to his dismissal.

Hired by Interior Health in Aug. 2020, de Villiers was Chief Medical Health officer for ten months until he was arrested in Kelowna on June 8, 2021. He was on paid leave until Oct. 3, 2021 at which Interior Health says de Villiers he was reassigned “to project MHO duties.”

He was paid nearly $362,000 during the 2021-22 fiscal year.

In June, de Villiers was sentenced to five-and-a-half years behind bars He will serve his sentence at the Bowden Institution, a medium security prison in Alberta, located about 100 kilometres north of Calgary near the communities of Innisfail and Bowden.

The Crown was seeking an eight year sentence while de Villiers’ defence team sought for a four year sentence.

During the two-day sentencing hearing, Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard, said the doctor’s career had been left in ruin, with no way for him to restore his credibility.

de Villiers was also scheduled to go on trial in August to answer to separate charges of voyeurism, making explicit material available to a child, and invitation to sexual touching.

It is related to incidents that allegedly took place between Jan. 2017 and Dec. 2019.

Radio NL has reached out to Interior Health for comment and will update this story if more information if known.