Kathmandu. Former Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, appeared before the Special Court on Sunday in connection with a corruption case related to the procurement of Teramux technology through the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA).

Basnet had submitted a petition requesting permission to appear in court. Following that, a bench comprising Justices Tej Narayan Singh Rai, Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Bidur Koirala began recording his statement. A bail hearing is also scheduled for later today.

During Basnet’s tenure as minister, discussions were held regarding the NTA’s annual budget and programs under his leadership. Based on those discussions, a proposal prepared by the NTA was forwarded to the ministry. It moved through the concerned undersecretary and joint secretary before reaching then-secretary Mahendraman Gurung.

On Bhadra 23, 2074 BS (September 8, 2017), Minister Basnet approved the NTA’s annual budget and inserted an additional sentence in the decision letter stating: “In addition, to operate appropriate equipment and systems for international call monitoring and VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) control.” This specific addition has been linked to the controversial procurement of Teramux technology.

Following the registration of the corruption case, Basnet has been suspended from his position as a Member of Parliament. In his prior statement to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Basnet claimed that his decision to approve the system was not intended to breach privacy or monitor call details.

The CIAA filed the corruption case against Basnet and several other officials, alleging irregularities in the procurement process of the Teramux system.