Indian-origin businessman Gaurav Srivastava has been in trouble after allegations that he falsely portrayed himself as an operative of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to gain access to senior Indonesian officials and pursue multibillion-dollar defence contracts.
The allegations were detailed in a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which cited civil lawsuits filed by Srivastava's former business partner Niels Troost in courts in California and the Southern District of New York.
According to the lawsuits, Srivastava said during recorded phone conversations that he was working for the CIA. The complaints also claim that he used those purported intelligence credentials to cultivate relations with influential political and military figures in Indonesia, such as then-Defence Minister and current President Prabowo Subianto.
The lawsuits alleged that Srivastava traveled with Prabowo to high-level meetings in Washington, DC, and Jakarta in 2020, where defence procurement proposals were discussed. In the process, he allegedly received three letters of intent related to Indonesia's proposed acquisition of fighter jets and other military equipment. More letters of intent and a memorandum of understanding were also obtained in 2021 and 2022 for other defence projects.
But according to the OCCRP report, none of these preliminary agreements actually resulted in defence purchases by the Indonesian government.
In court filings, Srivastava's companies also allege that from 2020 to 2022, four companies held by him secured five preliminary defence agreements with Indonesia's Ministry of Defence and a state-owned defence enterprise. He was also photographed alongside Prabowo Subianto and company executives during one of the signing ceremonies, which was later made public.
The proposed defence projects included the procurement of 36 F-15 fighter jets, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, C-130 transport aircraft, and the creation of a joint command-and-control centre for Indonesia’s Defence Ministry.
In 2022, the United States approved the sale of up to 36 F-15 fighter jets and related equipment to Indonesia in a deal valued at approximately $13.9 billion. The companies linked to Srivastava were not included in the official announcement of the sale made by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
According to corporate records cited in the report, the four companies involved in the preliminary agreements were shell entities with no previous experience in defence procurement. All four were later deregistered for failing to pay taxes, the report notes.
The legal complaints also claim that Srivastava developed close connections with several influential Indonesian business leaders, such as Hashim Djojohadikusumo, chairman of the Arsari Group and the brother of President Prabowo Subianto.
The allegations originate from civil lawsuits and investigative reporting. The claims have never been proven, and there has been no criminal wrongdoing reported on the allegations. The lawsuits are still in the midst of legal proceedings.
