Businessman Allegedly Poses as CIA Operative in Indonesia Deal
An Indian entrepreneur, Gaurav Srivastava, is accused of pretending to be a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent to secure a multibillion-dollar defense agreement with the Indonesian government. This claim stems from a civil lawsuit filed in the United States by a former business partner, Niels Troost.
A report from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) highlights lawsuits from New York and California initiated by Troost against Srivastava. According to the suit, Srivastava managed to convince Prabowo Subianto, who is now the President of Indonesia, that he had CIA ties during various military procurement events in Washington and Jakarta back in 2020.
By the end of that year, the alleged fake CIA operative had purportedly secured three “letters of intent” to sell fighter jets and other defense materials to Indonesia, followed by two more agreements in 2021 and 2022. The high-profile items listed in these deals included an F-15 jet, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and a C-130 transport aircraft.
Troost mentioned that Srivastava grew close to Subianto, often visiting his home and connecting with his brother, a notable businessman in Indonesia. Subianto took office as President in October 2024.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense told OCCRP’s partner, Tempo, that all agreements initiated by Srivastava were merely “preliminary,” lacking binding contracts and actual purchases from the Indonesian government.
“The entire defense cooperation and procurement process in Indonesia is conducted with utmost diligence, emphasizing good governance and adherence to regulations,” stated a spokesperson from the Defense Ministry.
However, there are snapshots of Subianto with Srivastava during the signing ceremony, and Srivastava himself held a press conference revealing the supposed purchase agreements. Interestingly, the U.S. government did approve the sale of 36 F-15s in 2022, which matches the number mentioned in Srivastava’s contract.
Troost explains that he became suspicious of Srivastava’s legitimacy himself, convinced he was a CIA agent. He even offered Srivastava a 50% stake in his company, hoping to capitalize on the supposed CIA connections to secure valuable contracts in regions like Indonesia.
It’s alleged that Srivastava misappropriated $51 million from Troost’s business, directing the funds to Alsari Group, led by Subianto’s brother. Following this, he reportedly convinced the company to release the loan to him, ultimately swindling half of that amount and extravagant expenditures like a $25 million mansion in Los Angeles.
Sriavastava claimed to be a successful businessman with four companies, but it turned out they were all shell entities that were eventually deregistered for tax noncompliance. None had any official approval from the U.S. government.
Indonesian officials are currently investigating potential corruption linked to these transactions, while Troost is pursuing racketeering charges against Srivastava in New York and California. In his filings, Troost labeled Srivastava as an “audacious fraudster with remarkable skills.”
Interestingly, Troost himself is quite a figure; he is a Dutch commodity trader based in Switzerland, having faced sanctions from the EU and various European nations for allegedly dealing in banned Russian oil after the Ukraine invasion in 2022.
This year, the sanctions against Troost were lifted, and he claimed they stemmed from a significant international business dispute with Srivastava, emphasizing that he does not trade in Russian oil due to his support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Srivastava has denied all allegations and described Troost’s claims as part of a “harsh scorched-earth campaign” against him.
