Marina Pendeš (born 20 August 1964) is a Bosnian Croat politician who the current member of the House of Peoples. She served as the

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

from 31 March 2015 until 23 December 2019. Pendeš is also a member of the

Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica Bosne i Hercegovine or HDZ BiH) is a Christian democratic, nationalist political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina, representing the Croats of Bosnia and ...

(HDZ BiH).

Early life and education

Pendeš was born in

Travnik Travnik is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the administrative center of Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, west of Sarajevo. As of 2 ...

on 20 August 1964. She attended elementary school in Bila,

Vitez Vitez ( sr-cyrl, Витез) is a town and municipality located in Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 6,329 inhabitant ...

and high school in Travnik. She graduated in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from the Military Technical Academy in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

in 1988 after receiving a scholarship from the

Yugoslav National Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...

Career

Pendeš was an independent constructor in the military industry in Travnik from 1988 until 1992, and head of the department of TKC SB in

from 1995 until 2003. She was a member of the

Croatian Defence Council The Croatian Defence Council ( hr, Hrvatsko vijeće obrane or HVO) was the official military formation of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, an unrecognized entity that existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1991 and 1996. The HVO wa ...

and worked in the Military Intelligence Service in

Central Bosnia Central Bosnia (, ) is a central subregion of Bosnia, which consists of a core mountainous area with several basins, valleys and mountains. It is bordered by Bosnian Krajina to the northwest, Tropolje ( Livno area) to the west, Herzegovina to t ...

during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

. Pendeš is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and was first elected to parliament in 2000. She was Minister of Physical Planning, Restructuring and Return for the

Central Bosnia Canton The Central Bosnia Canton ( bs, Srednjobosanski kanton/Средњобосански кантон, hr, Županija Središnja Bosna) is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most populous se ...

from 2003 to 2004. She was the Deputy

from 2004 to 2015 before being appointed Minister of Defence on 31 March 2015. Her term as Minister ended on 23 December 2019. Pendeš later became a member of the national House of Peoples.

Charges

In July 2015, Pendeš was charged by the State Prosecutor's Office for paying a salary to her advisor

Ivo Miro Jović Ivo Miro Jović (born 15 July 1950) is a Bosnian Croat former politician who served as the 5th Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2005 to 2006. He was a member of both the national House of Peoples and House of Repre ...

while she was Deputy Minister, despite him not showing up to work. In February 2016, she was acquitted by the

Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina :''This article refers to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a domestic court which includes international judges and prosecutors and a section for war crimes; it should not be confused with the separate International Criminal Tribunal for the For ...

of the charges of careless performance of official duties and forging documents.

References

External links

Minister of Defence profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pendes, Marina Living people 1964 births People from Travnik Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina women in politics 21st-century women politicians Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Female defence ministers Government ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Defence ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian Defence Council