Dodik has the lowest salary but the most valuable real estate

The real estate of the leaders of the eight most influential political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is worth around seven and a half million convertible marks (KM). The most expensive properties, together with his wife Snježana, are owned by the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), Milorad Dodik. Their total value is nearly three million KM. The least valuable are the apartment of Željko Komšić and the weekend house owned by his wife Sabina together with her brother – 200,000 KM.

These are the data obtained by journalists of the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN), working over the past nine months on the database „Politicians' Assets“. The database, which contains profiles of 160 politicians, publishes data on: real estate, savings, vehicles, income, loans, court proceedings, and other relevant information.

Separately, data on assets and financial obligations of the leaders of the eight most influential political parties are graphically presented: Mladen Bosić (Serb Democratic Party – SDS), Dragan Čović (Croatian Democratic Union of BiH – HDZ BiH), Milorad Dodik (SNSD), Bakir Izetbegović (Deputy President of the Party of Democratic Action – SDA), Željko Komšić (Democratic Front – DF), Zlatko Lagumdžija (Social Democratic Party of BiH – SDP BiH), Fahrudin Radončić (Alliance for a Better Future – SBB), and Martin Raguž (Croatian Democratic Union 1990 – HDZ 1990).

All of them are candidates for executive or legislative power in the upcoming general elections in BiH, which will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2014. Therefore, they submitted their annual asset declarations to the Central Election Commission of BiH (CEC), stating data on: income over the past year, real estate, savings, vehicles, loans, and other income or obligations. CIN journalists inspected this year's asset declarations, transcribed their content, and they are available to readers within the „Politicians' Assets“ database.

Among the eight party leaders, only Zlatko Lagumdžija and Dragan Čović did not provide estimates of the value of their real estate, companies, and cars. The values of Lagumdžija's properties were determined based on CIN research from 2012, i.e., according to purchase agreements. The values of all of Čović's properties are unknown, as the HDZ leader, nor the responsible services in this party, provided data to CIN journalists even after several requests and appeals.

After Dodik, the most valuable properties, together with his wife, are owned by Lagumdžija - two apartments, an estate and a weekend house, and a business premises in Sarajevo, along with an apartment in Dubrovnik, worth a total of 1,810,000 KM. One house in Sarajevo and another house on the estate in Donja Vogošća, reported by SBB leader Fahrudin Radončić, are worth 800,000 KM.

The properties of Bakir Izetbegović and his wife Sebija are worth nearly 600,000 KM. However, he is the only party leader who, according to CIN research, concealed a portion of his assets. In the 2014 declaration, he did not report the estate at Poljine near Sarajevo. Together with his wife Sebija, he owns one half of the estate worth about 250,000 KM, while the other half is owned by Ševkija Okerić, director of the SERDA Development Agency.

According to the estimate in the 2010 asset declaration, just one house of Dragan Čović, the one in Mostar, is worth 500,000 KM. In addition, the HDZ leader has another estate and house in Široki Brijeg, while his wife Bernadica owns a business premises in Mostar. HDZ 1990 leader Martin Raguž, together with his wife Marina, owns properties worth 430,000 KM.

Mladen Bosić, together with his daughter and wife, has properties in BiH and Serbia worth 275,000 KM, while the properties of Željko Komšić and his wife Sabina are worth 200,000 KM.

All eight leaders received salaries from the budget over the past year, either as representatives in legislative bodies or as holders of executive functions. The highest monthly salary as a representative in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH was earned by SDS leader Mladen Bosić – 6,497 KM. In the House of Peoples of this legislative body, Dragan Čović received a monthly salary of 5,835 KM, while Martin Raguž in the same house received a monthly net salary of 4,772 KM. Bakir Izetbegović and Željko Komšić earned 5,599 and 5,287 KM per month, respectively, in the Presidency of BiH.

Fahrudin Radončić was the state Minister of Security until March this year and earned 4,866 KM per month last year. As he told CIN journalists, he waived his salary in favor of three police unions. A ministerial salary of 4,782 KM was also received by the current head of BiH diplomacy, Zlatko Lagumdžija.

The lowest among them, as President of Republika Srpska (RS), earned Milorad Dodik – 3,932 KM.

During 2013, the monthly cost to the budgets of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska for the political party leaders was just over 40,000 KM.

Some of them also have high additional income such as dividends, fees, or earnings from renting out properties. Milorad Dodik, together with his wife, earned 245,000 KM from agriculture and renting a house in Belgrade, while Fahrudin Radončić received 600,000 KM from the sale of the company „Avaz – roto press“ from his ex-wife, out of a total of 200 million KM for which he sold the company. In addition, the SBB leader had just over 780,000 KM remaining in accounts from dividends. SDP leader Zlatko Lagumdžija also has 665,000 KM saved in his account.

When the savings amounts of all eight leaders and Radončić's dividend income are added up, the total is 1,580,000 KM.

The most valuable vehicle fleet is owned by the Dodik family. The SNSD leader reported in 2014 a car eight years old and stated it was worth 40,000 KM. His son Igor drives a car worth 50,000 KM, and his wife Snježana a Peugeot 308 worth 25,000 KM.

Raguž's Citroen GS, as he stated in the asset declaration, is worth 38,000 KM, and the Toyota Corolla Verso driven by his wife Marina is worth 17,000 KM. The car of Bakir's wife Sebija, director of the Sarajevo General Hospital „Abdulah Nakaš“, is worth 50,000 KM, while Čović's wife Bernadica drives an Audi A3 that was worth 40,000 KM in 2010. Bosić's wife Ljiljana reported a Hyundai i30 worth 12,000 KM. Komšić, Lagumdžija, and Radončić, according to the asset declaration, do not own vehicles.

The biggest debtor among the party leaders is Milorad Dodik. He owes just over one million KM to „Pavlović International Bank“, and in the asset declaration he did not specify the repayment deadline. His wife is still repaying a loan that, according to the 2010 asset declaration, amounted to 100,000 KM.

Zlatko and Amina Lagumdžija owe banks 287,000 KM, and HDZ leader Dragan Čović 150,000 KM. Bakir and Sebija Izetbegović have loans until 2016 and 2020, respectively, with a total value of about 100,000 KM. Željko Komšić owes banks about 88,000 KM, Martin Raguž 70,000 KM, while SBB leader Radončić pays monthly alimony of 4,000 KM.