Bosnia Politicians Getting Richer, Report Shows

A database on the properties and assets of 160 politicians in Bosnia, produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, CIN, in Sarajevo has drawn reactions from politicians and member of the public following its publication this week.

The database showed that the real estate holdings of many politicians have kept growing throughout their careers, this past year included.

Journalists from CIN worked on the database for nine months, gathering documentation about property ownership, vehicles, loans and incomes.

Of the 160 politicians in the database, around a hundred are standing as candidates in the upcoming elections in Bosnia and Herzgovina.

CIN assistant editor Kenan Efendic told Balkan Insight that reactions to the information were bound to be negative when people saw that lawmakers were earning 3,500 euro a month, which is eight times higher than the average salary.

"These high incomes of politicians are legal - but it is hard to say that they were earned," Efendic remarked.

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