The director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of the northern province of Yen Bai has been reprimanded and transferred to another position, as punishments over his failure to fully declare his asset holdings.

Quy received the warning decision and will no longer work as the environment department head, Yen Bai chairman Do Duc Duy confirmed late Friday.

The official came to the public’s attention in June after local media outlets revealed that a 1.3 hectare villa complex in Yen Bai City was owned by his family

Quy claimed that he had borrowed about VND20 billion ($887,000) in bank loans, another sum from friends, and saved since he was young in order to build the property.

He has been transferred to work as the deputy head of the office of the province’s decision-making People’s Council.

The punishment came after the Government Inspectorate found that Quy has made multiple violations, including the dishonest declaration of his villa complex.

According to findings of the four-month investigation, publicized by the government inspectors on October 23, Quy had not declared several portions of his assets since 2014, in violation of Directive No.33 of the Politburo.

In Vietnam, officials are required to write down a list of assets they own in their profiles.

In 2014, the official failed to declare 1,200 square meters of land and over 59,000 square meters of agricultural land, along with a bank loan worth VND3.8 billion (US$166,884).

In 2015, over 13,000 square meters of residential land, 41,000 square meters of agricultural land, a VND6 billion ($263,502) bank loan, and some VND1.9 billion ($83,442) gifted by his parents were also not declared.

In 2016, after Quy was appointed director of the provincial environment department, he failed to make known of over 7,900 square meters of residential land, 27,336 square meters of agricultural land, a 600 square meter house in Minh Tan Ward, Yen Bai City, more than VND9 billion ($395,253) worth of bank loans, and 60 taels of gold borrowed from his friends.

Official documents state that the land is owned by his wife, Hoang Thi Hue.

The Government Inspectorate considers Quy’s dishonest asset declarations a serious violation and has ordered a suitable penalty.