A county government in Central China’s Henan province has dismissed two officials who were found guilty of serious public offences three years ago.

Yang Zhihui, former deputy director of the real estate trade center of Gushi county’s land and resources bureau, was sentenced to three years imprisonment with five years’ probation in May 2010 for abusing his power to trade land use right.

Yang did not lose his job after being sentenced, and was then transferred to a new post as deputy director of the urban land supervision team in the bureau, according to a report of China Youth Daily.

Xu Xin, Yang’s colleague who was found guilty of dereliction of duty in January 2010, was even promoted to deputy chief of the bureau, said the report.

The government dismissed the two officials’ posts on Sunday and Monday, according to a statement released on the government’s website, claiming it had not received the court’s conviction reports three years ago.