Finger on the switch of crime investigation
PROFILE: Keith Keating, CEO of Forensic Data Analysts
The scandal-plagued businessman has found himself on the wrong side of parliament and Ipid after a prolonged standoff with the police
Businessman Keith Keating, whose office is about 20 minutes’ drive from the Union Buildings in Pretoria, holds the keys to the engine room of SA’s criminal justice system. After parliament had earlier accused Keating, the CEO of Forensic Data Analysts (FDA), of "holding the country to ransom", court papers lodged on behalf of the police last week stated that SA’s criminal courts could "grind to a halt" if Keating’s companies — which are contracted to the police — refuse to play ball. FDA provides the police and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) with infrastructure that includes firearm-permit and property-control systems as well as crime-exhibit management. The systems allow the police to track firearms and obtain access to clues needed for investigations, among other functions. The police brought the application before the high court in Gauteng to ensure that FDA did not cut off its services, saying also that it had not been able to identify an alternative service prov...
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