US Embassy Hero of the Month

(Patria) - Dr. Erduan Kafedžić is the head of the Sarajevo Canton Anti-Corruption Office (ACO). Through Dr. Kafedžić’s leadership, the ACO has played a critical role in anti-corruption since 2018.  Dr. Kafedžić cites former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who said “If corruption is a disease, transparency is its cure.”  Dr. Erduan Kafedžić is Embassy Sarajevo’s Hero of the Month.   
 
His office launched numerous investigations into fake diplomas and rampant environmental and construction fraud.  The Anti-Corruption Office produced a documentary on these important investigations: https://lnkd.in/dAEim7sw

Unfortunately, the inaction of BiH’s judicial institutions to follow through means there have been too few results from this hard work.  In the words of Dr. Kafedžić, “We can’t ignore the political pressure that the Anti-Corruption Office suffers.  The cases the Anti-Corruption Office is working on are increasingly complex, difficult and diverse, and some of them involve serious crimes. Citizens must understand that the enemy of the state is corruption. Social and political action of citizens must be directed against corruption and corrupt individuals and groups, because the fight against corruption has no alternative, and giving up and leaving means the loss of the state.”  
 
The U.S. Embassy strongly supports the team at the Anti-Corruption Office and will continue to provide technical support and mentorship.  Dr. Kafedžić, and his office, is an example of how independent institutions can act with integrity and be a model for change.