Since moving from teaching and local municipal duties to a position in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly in 2018, Dević, originally from Ilijaš, has significantly increased his real estate holdings.
Yet, based on the financial disclosures he submitted to the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEC BiH), his reported wealth seems modest. In his 2022 declaration, Dević listed only a beekeeping enterprise and 3,400 square meters of land. However, he and his wife, Adela, also own two residential houses, a vacation property, and over seven dunums of land, assets not included in his official report.
According to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was required to declare all income from the previous year, along with any assets owned by themselves or their close family members that exceed BAM 5,000 in value. The Central Election Commission does not check whether the information in asset declarations is accurate, and there are no legal consequences for not reporting property.
In contrast, the Sarajevo Canton Law on the Disclosure and Verification of Assets of Public Office Holders does include penalties for non-disclosure, and Dević met these obligations by submitting his declarations to the cantonal anti-corruption body.
Dević initially agreed to be interviewed by reporters, asking for a few days to prepare. However, just before the scheduled filming of the interview, Dević withdrew, stating that his party’s leadership had objected to him speaking with the media.
From the Classroom to the Canton Assembly and Real Estate Holdings
A pedagogy teacher from Ilijaš, Mahir Dević spent years juggling a career in education with his political ambitions. He served as both a school counsellor and principal at Stari Ilijaš Primary School, while also holding positions as a municipal councillor, Deputy Chair, and later Chair of the Ilijaš Municipal Council.
In 2018, he traded the classroom and the council chamber for a seat in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, where he is now approaching the end of his second term as a representative of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA). During this time, his employment rights and obligations relating to his post as a school counsellor have been placed on hold.
When he first entered the Sarajevo Canton Assembly in 2018, Dević declared to the Central Election Commission (CEC BiH) ownership of two dunums of land, a beekeeping facility, a car, a life insurance policy and an outstanding loan. He also reported that his wife, Adela, owned a house and a plot of inherited land.
Four years later, after being re-elected to the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, his overall assets had grown, yet his declaration did not fully reflect the actual extent of property held by him and his spouse at the time.
Although he then owned more than 11 dunums of land, he declared only 3,400 square metres. His asset declaration included the beekeeping business, a car, and a life insurance policy, but listed no assets under his wife’s name.
In 2019, Dević received a house with a courtyard in Ilijaš as a gift from his mother, a property valued at approximately BAM 170,000 at the time. However, when he submitted his asset declaration in 2022, this property was not included.
Court decisions from 2020 officially listed him as the owner of three additional land plots. One of these contains a holiday home, which he also did not report following his re-election to the Sarajevo Canton Assembly.
In 2021, Dević completed five separate real estate transactions on the same day, buying and selling small plots near the holiday home at relatively modest prices.
His 2022 declaration likewise failed to include assets owned by his wife. Specifically, he did not disclose her ownership of land in Bijambare or a house with a courtyard in Ilijaš, which she had been gifted in 2012.
Six months after filing the declaration, Dević sold two dunums of land along with a beekeeping facility for a total of BAM 100,000. A few months later, in September 2023, his wife sold the land in Bijambare for BAM 40,000. That same month, Dević purchased an apartment in Ilijaš for BAM 145,000.
Further details about Dević’s political career are available in CIN’s Politicians’ Assets database.
This database serves as a unique repository of information about the careers, education, assets, legal proceedings, and party affiliations of approximately 230 politicians and public officials. Since 2009, CIN journalists have been gathering data and continuously updating the database with new profiles. The database includes profiles of politicians currently in office, as well as those who have ended their political careers.
