TERAMOCS corruption verdict: Former Minister and acquitted, only 3 convicted

Last Updated on July 6, 2026

Summary✨

The Special Court of Nepal ruled on the TERAMOCS corruption case, convicting the former NTA chairman and two board members.

Digambar Jha received a one-year prison sentence, while Dhanraj Gyawali and Tika Prasad Upreti were sentenced to six months and fined.

The CIAA accused NTA of submitting a false report and misusing property in the procurement of the TERAMOCS system.

The case involved top government figures, including former ministers and NTA board members, with significant allegations of corruption.

Despite the convictions, the controversy over TERAMOCS and its implementation continues, raising concerns about government oversight.

Special Court of Nepal has delivered its verdict on the TERAMOCS procurement case on July 6, 2026. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Akhtiyar filed a corruption case at the Special Court against 16 individuals and two firms in relation to the procurement of the Telecommunications Traffic Monitoring and Fraud Control System (TERAMOCS) in May 2025. Among those 16, Former Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet, along with 12 others, has been acquitted, while former NTA chairman and 2 NTA board members have been convicted.

Only the then board of directors of NTA has been found guilty. Of them, Digambar Jha has been sentenced to one year in prison, while Dhanraj Gyawali and Tika Prasad Upreti have been sentenced to six months in prison with a fine of Rs 50,000. If you were unaware, Jha is the then chairman of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, and Gyawali and Upreti were the board members.

But the court has acquitted the former chairman Purushottam Khanal, Achyutananda Mishra, Surendralal Hada, Vijay Kumar Ray, Revatiraj Pantha, Dipesh Acharya, Suresh Basnet, Hiranya Prasad Bastakoti, Sandeep Adhikari, and the CEO and local agent of Vanrise Solutions.

Background of the CIAA TERAMOCS corruption case:

Among those in the defendant group were the former communication minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet and former Law Secretary Dhanraj Gyawali. The anti-corruption commission was seeking over Rs 3.21 billion in damages over the imports of the TERAMOCS system.

CIAA had filed a case stating that NTA had prepared a false report of an unqualified bidder for the Request for Proposal for the purchase of the TERAMOCS gears. The authority also adds that NTA misused property by creating a possible structure that would allow access to the public’s information without proper legal provisions.

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TERAMOCS corruption case against top figures

The case over the TERAMOCS corruption had embroiled some of the top figures from the then government and the NTA board. As mentioned above, it included former NTA chairmen Digambar Jha and Purushottam Khanal, then members Dhanraj Gyawaali and Tikaprasad Upreti, and directors Bijay Kumar Ray, Surendralal Hada, and Dipesh Acharya. The list also included deputy directors Suresh Basnet, Harinya Prasad Bastakoti, Ram Panta, Sanji Adhikari, and Achyutananda Mishra.

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Basnet and others were in hot water with CIAA and TERAMOCS

CIAA had earlier suspected that the former Communication Minister Basnet had gone beyond his jurisdiction and directed the implementation of the TERAMOCS-related issue, not in the plan. This is when NTA submitted its annual program list for the FY 2074/75 to the Ministry of Communication, Information, and Technology for approval.

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CIAA had demanded action on the defendants in accordance with Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059 BS.

TERAMOCS has been a controversial topic in Nepal, mostly for its ability to “tap phone calls”. However, both Ntc and Ncell expressed their disapproval of it. But with the verdict coming in the controversial case, the system may brace for a revival.

Either way, it’s sad denig that major telecom projects such as MDMS and TERAMOCS both were marred by controversies of possible financial irregularities. It’s a general wish that such mega projects are planned without proper discussion and coordination among the stakeholders.

What is your opinion on TERAMOCS, its failed implementation, and the corruption controversy? Do such instances cast doubt on the government’s capability to bring better tech and innovation in telecommunications? Do share in the comment box below.