Indian-origin businessman accused of posing as CIA operative in Indonesia defence deal probe

An Indian-origin businessman has been accused of posing as a CIA operative to gain access to senior Indonesian officials and advance defence deals, according to an investigation based on civil lawsuits in the United States. The reporting says the man, identified as Srivastava, used the self-given nickname "Mr G" and cultivated ties with President Prabowo Subianto. It also says the alleged influence effort extended to meetings in Washington and Jakarta and involved discussions on military procurement.

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The investigation, published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, says the claims are grounded in lawsuits filed in California and New York by Niels Troost, Srivastava's former business partner. Troost says he had given Srivastava a 50% stake in his company, while the court filings are said to include allegations that Srivastava told people in recorded calls that he worked for the CIA. The reporting says he used that claim to build credibility with Indonesian officials and to secure access to high-level government discussions.

According to the account, Srivastava developed a close relationship with Prabowo during the years Prabowo served as defence minister, and that relationship continued after Prabowo became president. The reporting also says he gained the confidence of Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's brother and chairman of the Arsari Group. It further alleges that Srivastava accompanied Prabowo to high-profile meetings in 2020, where talks reportedly touched on fighter jets and other military equipment.

The allegations matter because they sit at the intersection of defence procurement, political influence and foreign access to senior decision-makers in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Indonesia has long been a significant market for military equipment, and the reporting suggests that private intermediaries may have sought to shape or accelerate major purchases. The case also raises questions about how defence-related contacts are managed when commercial interests overlap with political relationships.

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The lawsuits cited in the reporting say Srivastava obtained three Letters of Intent from Indonesia in 2020 covering possible fighter jet and military equipment purchases, followed by another Letter of Intent and a Memorandum of Understanding in 2021 and 2022 tied to two further defence projects. The report says four companies linked to him signed five preliminary agreements with Indonesia's Ministry of Defence and a state-owned defence firm between 2020 and 2022. It also says he claimed credit for identifying those behind the 2002 Bali bombings and for helping get Prabowo removed from a US immigration blacklist, though the reporting does not say those claims were independently verified.

What remains unclear is the extent to which the alleged CIA claim influenced any actual procurement decisions, and whether any of the preliminary agreements progressed beyond the early stages described in the lawsuits. The reporting does not say that the defence deals were completed, and it is not clear what response, if any, has come from the Indonesian government or the people named in the allegations. The next developments to watch are any court filings, official statements, or further reporting on whether the agreements led to binding contracts.

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