How an Indian-Origin businessman pretended to be a CIA operative to snare a billions-dollar defence deal with Indonesia’s President
An Indian-origin businessman allegedly posed as a CIA operative to build ties with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and push through multibillion-dollar defence deals, according to an investigation the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Who is Gaurav Srivastava?
Srivastava is an Indian-origin businessman who reportedly cultivated a close relationship with Prabowo Subianto during the years Subianto served as Indonesia’s defence miner a relationship that continued after Subianto rose to the presidency. Sources cited in the OCCRP investigation say Srivastava went the self-given nickname “Mr G” and positioned himself as a CIA operative to build credibility with Indonesian officials.
The allegations
The findings stem from civil lawsuits filed in California and New York Niels Troost, Srivastava’s former business partner, who says he had given Srivastava a 50% stake in his company. Based on those filings, OCCRP reports that Srivastava accompanied Prabowo to high-profile meetings in both Washington and Jakarta in 2020, where discussions reportedly touched on major military procurement, including fighter jets and other equipment.
According to the lawsuits, Srivastava told people in recorded calls that he worked for the CIA. OCCRP’s reporting indicates he used that claim to gain the confidence of senior Indonesian officials, including Hashim Djojohadikusumo Prabowo’s brother and chairman of the Arsari Group and to secure entry into high-level government discussions.
Srivastava is also said to have claimed credit for identifying those behind the 2002 Bali bombings, an attack that killed more than 200 people, and for helping get Prabowo removed from a US immigration blackl.
How the deals took shape
Per OCCRP’s account, Srivastava obtained three Letters of Intent from Indonesia in 2020 covering potential fighter jet and military equipment purchases, followed an additional Letter of Intent and a Memorandum of Understanding in 2021 and 2022 tied to two more defence projects.Story continues below this ad
Between 2020 and 2022, four companies connected to Srivastava reportedly signed five preliminary agreements with Indonesia’s Minry of Defence and a state-owned defence firm. The proposed packages allegedly included:
36 F-15 fighter jets
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters
C-130 transport aircraft
A military command-and-control centre
Separately, in 2022 the US formally approved a possible sale of 36 F-15 jets and associated equipment to Indonesia, in a deal valued at up to $13.9 billion.
The shell company detail
OCCRP’s investigation reportedly found that the four companies tied to Srivastava were shell entities with no prior record in defence procurement. Notably, when the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency publicly announced the F-15 sale, none of Srivastava’s companies appeared as parties to that official deal a discrepancy that raises questions about the extent of his actual role versus his claimed influence.
