Indian-origin businessman alleged to have posed as CIA agent to secure Indonesia defence deals

An Indian-origin businessman, Gaurav Srivastava, has been accused of posing as a CIA operative to build ties with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and push through multibillion-dollar defence deals, according to an investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The allegations stem from civil lawsuits filed in California and New York by Niels Troost, Srivastava's former business partner, who claims he gave Srivastava a 50% stake in his company. The lawsuits allege that Srivastava told people in recorded calls that he worked for the CIA, and used that claim to gain the confidence of senior Indonesian officials, including Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's brother and chairman of the Arsari Group.

According to OCCRP, Srivastava accompanied Prabowo to high-profile meetings in Washington and Jakarta in 2020, where discussions reportedly touched on major military procurement, including fighter jets and other equipment. He is also said to have claimed credit for identifying those behind the 2002 Bali bombings and for helping get Prabowo removed from a US immigration blacklist.

Between 2020 and 2022, four companies connected to Srivastava reportedly signed five preliminary agreements with Indonesia's Ministry 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, and a military command-and-control centre. In 2022, the US formally approved a possible sale of 36 F-15 jets to Indonesia, valued at up to $13.9 billion.

However, OCCRP's investigation 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, raising questions about the extent of his actual role versus his claimed influence.

The OCCRP, a global network of investigative journalists, based its report on court filings and its own research. Srivastava has not publicly commented on the allegations. The case highlights concerns about the use of unverified claims of intelligence connections to facilitate international defence deals.