Kathmandu: The Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament has concluded that there were unlawful activities in the procurement process of the Telecommunication Traffic Monitoring and Fraud Control System (Teramox).
In a meeting held at Singha Durbar today, the committee identified 15 irregularities in the Teramox procurement process and directed the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to thoroughly investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
The committee has mandated the CIAA to provide progress reports on the investigation every 30 days. In case of misuse of authority and proven damage to the state, the committee has instructed the CIAA to initiate legal action against the individuals involved in the irregularities during the registration process.
The committee has expressed concerns about the procurement process of Teramox, comparing it with similar companies in Algeria and Iran, which have provided the system at a lower cost.
The committee emphasized that, despite the potential financial loss of around 500 million rupees due to fluctuations in the exchange rate and market analysis, proper scrutiny and market research were not conducted in the procurement process.
In an effort to prevent potential revenue leakage and ensure the quality of service, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority had allocated a budget of Rs 3.11 billion for Teramox.
However, during the detailed discussion, issues related to the collection of extremely personal information, such as call details and SMS, and the confidentiality of the technology were raised, prompting questions about Teramex technology.