The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of State Capture exacerbated the need for entities in South Africa to know more about their clients, vendors, agents, partners etc. It is not an easy task shifting through big volumes of data in order to bring forth context, the bigger picture and discern between allegations and facts. FTI realised that there should be an easier way to allow a reader to be able to, with the click of a button or two, to gain access to structured state capture related data and allow the reader to spend the time assessing impact rather than waste time finding a needle in a haystack.
We have included content from, amongst others, the following sources:
The Zondo Commission reports, transcripts and exhibits
The Commission of Inquiry of the Public Investment Corporation report, transcripts and statements
Terry Motau's report on VBS Mutual Bank
Other relevant credible reports
Media articles from credible sources
Content, and named entities, will continue to be added as we identify relevant, publicly available information. This will include any court related papers and information made available during future trials related to state capture (all available in the public domain, of course).
Additional data sources, for example published books, are in the process of being added as we obtain publisher approval and legal consent.
The word Themis originates from ancient Greece meaning "The Goddess of Law" and represents law, order, and justice.1
The Project Themis solution employs various tools, in a unique workflow, to process and present a result that provides quick access and insights to people and businesses named in the public domain in respect of state capture.
We have employed key technologies, such as natural language processing engines and an industry-leading electronic discovery platform, to achieve a single point of entry to the vast array of data points emanating from a variety of sources.
USE CASES:
The tool will supplement an entity's needs during the lifetime of a business relationship, especially:
Conducting due diligence at the time of establishing a business relationship with a client
Monitoring the end-to-end lifetime of a business relationship
Conducting on-going due diligence throughout the business relationship
When conducting Enhanced Due Diligence on specific high-risk client relationships
Supplementing current due diligence processes
Assisting in establishing the potential reputational risk the entity could be exposed to on a case-by-case basis
Creating a better understanding of the context and circumstances in which specific transactions took place as part of a look back review
Provide direct input to the financial crime risk assessment of clients
Assist in preparation of important client meetings as part of pre-meeting due diligence efforts
Clarify flags raised by third-parties in so far specific clients and entities are involved etc.
SCREEN SHOT 1:
Documents are grouped into Types, and searches can be conducted across one or more selected Types:
SCREEN SHOT 2:
Searches can be conducted under Entity Name or Related Entity Name to identify the required individual or company. The result set will indicate the particular string identified as well as the document(s) where that string can be found:
SCREEN SHOT 3:
Documents containing the identified string can then be accessed:
SCREEN SHOT 4:
The string is then identified in the document and hits are highlighted:
ONE LAST THOUGHT:
Through the Themis platform we aim to provide a tool that has credible facts highlighted by Commissions, Courts, credible media outlets etc. that relates to state capture with relative ease of use. Access to this platform will provide businesses with facts and certainty to make an informed decision about the individuals or companies they are entering into business with.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Geoff Budge
FTI Consulting
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FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory company. Its segments include Corporate Finance & Restructuring, Forensic and Litigation Consulting, Economic Consulting, Technology and Strategic Communications. The Corporate Finance & Restructuring segment focuses on the strategic, operational, financial, transactional and capital needs of its clients. The Forensic and Litigation Consulting provides law firms, companies, government entities and private equity firms with a multidisciplinary and independent range of services in risk and investigations and disputes. The Economic Consulting segment provides law firms, companies, and government entities with analyses of economic issues for use in international arbitration and legal and regulatory proceedings. The Technology segment provides information governance, privacy and security and corporate legal department consulting. Its Strategic Communications segment provides corporate reputation, financial communications and public affairs.
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