FDA boss defends shutdown at SAPS

FORENSIC Data Analysts (FDA) director Keith Keating says accusations that his infrastructure systems company is “holding the country to ransom” are grossly unfair.

“We are not holding the country to ransom. This is an issue of finance,” he said.

This week the infrastructure provider shut down its services to the police and State Information Technology Agency (Sita) after it was allegedly not paid for five months. It claims it is owed R70 million.

The police have been reluctant to reveal the reasons why the firm has not been paid, but it’s likely due to a probe into the company’s tender procurement processes conducted under the leadership of former acting national police commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane.

Phahlane was linked to Keating in an Independent Police Investigative Directorate probe that accuses them both of corruption, fraud and money laundering.

However, Keating said yesterday he was not guilty of any impropriety, that FDA had worked within the SAPS for 12 years, and that all of his tenders were secured legally.

Keating said he tried – without success – to find out why the SAPS and Sita had been accepting FDA’s services, even though parliament’s standing committee on public accounts had recommended the cancellation of the contracts, and why no payments had been received for services rendered.

According to Keating, that had led to Wednesday’s press statement saying FDA’s services would be shut down with immediate effect.

This included the management of the SAPS firearm registry, systems in the forensic science laboratory, and even the control and registry of evidence required for court proceedings.

SAPS national spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, confirmed the shutdown of the systems, but denied the infrastructure was “critical” and that operations were coming to a halt in FDA’s absence.

Naidoo said police would consult their lawyers to determine the way forward.

Sita spokesperson Sithembele Senti said it was likely to approach the courts to ensure through an urgent application that FDA revived its systems.