Šemsudin Dedić, a deputy in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and former minister of agriculture, water management, and forestry of the FBiH from the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), inherited most of his property from his father. He owns or co-owns about six hectares of land and a house in his hometown, which he valued at 200,000 BAM.
“All I have is in Bihać. I have nothing here in Sarajevo. I am a lodger in Sarajevo,” he said in the 2021 interview for CIN. Then he announced that this could change.
In just over two decades of service in state institutions and public functions, he managed to save BAM 336,530, which he planned to use to buy property in Sarajevo. From what he told reporters, one part of the money he had saved, and another he inherited from the paid-up bonds of his father’s old foreign currency savings.
“I plan to buy some property, perhaps in Sarajevo, if I stay. (…) I am saving, so one day I will solve the housing issue”, said Dedić, who later did not answer the calls of reporters. He has not bought the property yet.
Dedić has been a lodger in Sarajevo since he became a minister in 2015. The Government of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) co-financed the rent with BAM 599 per month.
His two minor children also saved a considerable amount of money – more than BAM 51,000. According to him, the children received this money on various occasions since their birth. His wife Amra drives a Volvo car worth BAM 78,000 and has BAM 20,000 in savings.
Dedić’s political advancement
After graduating from the School of Economics in Tuzla, Dedić got a job at the Customs Administration of the Federation of BiH (FBiH) in 2001, and from there he moved to the Indirect Taxation Administration of BiH (ITABiH) to the position of expert associate for internal audit in Banja Luka. He worked at ITABiH until 2005 and his first political engagement, when he assumed the position of Minister of Finance in the Una-Sana Canton Government. Two years later, he assumed the office of prime minister in this canton.
After cantonal, he moved to the Federation government. From 2011 to 2014, he served as a representative in the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament. A year later, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry.
In the 2018 General Election, he won the seat in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly. With only four questions and two initiatives, he has not been particularly active as a deputy. However, in the last elections in 2022, he ran again and won the seat.
During his entire term of office in the State Parliament, he also worked as an FBiH minister. In an interview with CIN reporters, he complained that holding two functions simultaneously was very tiring.
“Due to all these circumstances, I serve as the Minister of Agriculture, and since we cannot replace the government (…) I do work here, and then I go to sessions, committee meetings, and attend all other obligations”, explained the SDA vice-president to the reporters.
The profile of Šemsudin Dedić is part of CIN’s database “Politicians’ Assets”. This is the most complete database on the income and movable and immovable property of more than 130 officials and politicians of the ruling and opposition parties in BiH. The database consists of information on their education, professional and political career, as well as data on savings, loans, and their shares in companies. You can also find information on lawsuits and court rulings against politicians and officials.
