Indian-Origin Man Pose as CIA Agent to Pursue Multi-Billion-Dollar Indonesia Defence Deals: Report
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
An Indian-origin businessman allegedly posed as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative to cultivate ties with senior Indonesian officials, including President Prabowo Subianto, in an effort to secure multi-billion-dollar defence contracts, according to a report by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
The report identifies the businessman as Gaurav Srivastava and says the allegations are based on civil lawsuits filed in California and New York by his former business partner, Niels Troost. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Allegedly claimed to be CIA operative
According to the OCCRP report, Srivastava allegedly introduced himself as a CIA operative and used the claim to gain the confidence of senior Indonesian political and business figures.
The report states that he developed close ties with Prabowo Subianto, who was Indonesia's defence minister at the time and is now the country's president. It alleges that Srivastava accompanied Prabowo to high-level meetings in Washington, DC, and Jakarta in 2020, where defence procurement, including fighter aircraft and military equipment, was discussed.
The report further claims that Srivastava referred to himself as "Mr G" during his dealings.
Lawsuit details
The OCCRP report cites civil lawsuits filed by Troost, who alleges that he granted Srivastava a 50 per cent ownership stake in his company.
According to the lawsuits, Srivastava claimed during recorded telephone conversations that he worked for the CIA and used that assertion to obtain access to senior Indonesian officials and high-level government meetings.
The lawsuits also allege that he claimed to have helped identify those responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings and played a role in securing the removal of Prabowo from a US immigration blacklist.
Defence agreements
The report states that between 2020 and 2022, companies linked to Srivastava signed five preliminary defence agreements with Indonesia's Defence Ministry and a state-owned defence company.
These reportedly included Letters of Intent (LOIs) and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering potential acquisitions of:
- 36 F-15 fighter aircraft.
- UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
- C-130 transport aircraft.
- A military command and control centre.
In 2022, the United States approved the potential sale of 36 F-15 fighter jets and related equipment to Indonesia in a deal valued at up to 13.9 billion US dollars.
Shell company allegations
According to the OCCRP investigation, the four companies linked to Srivastava were shell entities with no previous experience in defence procurement.
The report further notes that when the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the proposed F-15 sale to Indonesia, none of Srivastava's companies featured in the official transaction.
Neither Srivastava nor the Indonesian authorities had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication. The allegations stem from ongoing civil litigation and remain contested.
