CIN publishes database on the assets of 160 politicians

The assets of many politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been growing for years, and some of them manage to save money in addition to buying numerous properties, it was highlighted, among other things, at today's presentation of the database on politicians' assets compiled by the Center for Investigative Journalism in Sarajevo (CIN), reports Patria.

This unique database, which CIN journalists worked on for nine months, contains data on the political and professional careers, real estate, savings, vehicles, stocks, loans, and court proceedings for 160 parliamentarians, ministers, and other elected officials.

CIN journalists have collected over 2,700 documents, including all asset declarations from previous and the current election year, land registry excerpts, court rulings, indictments, and other official documents,” said Renata Radić-Dragić, Editor-in-Chief of CIN, at a press conference.

Out of the 160 politicians in the database, nearly a hundred are candidates in the October elections. 51 of them declared savings exceeding 5 million KM. At least half of this group has seen their savings consistently grow, and some entered politics with no assets.

 - CIN will publish several stories about politicians who have acquired considerable wealth through politics in the coming period. In addition, we will regularly update and refresh the database with new information and documents - said CIN journalist Aladin Abdagić.

According to him, when comparing the data in this database with data from four years ago, an increase in officials' salaries is noticeable, especially for state parliamentarians.

The database, in addition to the mentioned documents, also contains the biography of each politician. Journalists conducted over a hundred interviews, and some politicians refused to talk about themselves or avoided direct contact with CIN journalists.

 - Many institutions responded within the legal deadline and provided complete data. However, we had significant problems with some, as we had to insist for months to get answers, and some rejected our request - said CIN journalist Mirjana Popović.

Access to information about politicians' assets became difficult when the Central Election Commission (CEC), due to a ruling by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on personal data protection, removed the asset declarations of BiH politicians from its website in 2012. Consequently, asset declarations from 2014 are also unavailable.

CIN journalists therefore reviewed the politicians' asset declarations, transcribed the data into forms, excluding all personal information, and published it in the database.

The database is available at www.imovinapoliticara.cin.ba or www.cin.ba/imovinapoliticara and is technically adapted for mobile devices.