Monitoring Report
A controversial India businessman Gaurav Kumar Srivastava, currently dwelling within the US, has been accused of orchestrating international scams in which he claimed to be a relevant investigation corporation (CIA) operative to defraud international businessmen, consisting of the Geneva-based Dutch oil dealer Niels Troost. An research published in respected investigative journalism discussion board “task Brazen” has laid naked the whole quantity of ways Srivastava conned the Dutch oil trader, leading to a felony conflict. The complex net of lies has been uncovered at the “task Brazen” by the Pulitzer Prize-winning former Wall avenue journal reporter Bradley desire and Scobin Kim in step with the to be had proof, Gaurav Srivastava met Troost in summer time 2022 at the G20 summit in Bali that November.
The Atlantic Council hosted the event backed with extra than $1 million by using the Gaurav & Sharon Srivastava basis, the non-income NGO run by using Srivastava together with his wife Sharon Srivastava (née Johnson) within the name of ‘securing meals & power for the usa and the arena’. Troost and Srivastava joined a panel of experts to talk about worldwide food security, and the Atlantic Council’s President Frederick Kempe profusely thanked Srivastava for his generous donation but he had no idea what could take place within the following months. in step with the project Brazen investigation, Niels Troost was brought in summer time 2022 by means of a mutual touch to Gaurav Kumar Srivastava, who pretended to be thoroughly connected with the Washington energy circles and additionally to the usa’s primary undercover agent company – the CIA. At that point, the oil trader become in a country of developing panic as a person purporting to be a US government informant had falsely led him to believe that the Federal Bureau of research (FBI) became investigating him and his commodities-trading employer situated in Switzerland, Paramount power & Commodities SA.
Months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Paramount turned into persevering with to change Russian oil, mainly crude, in full compliance with the law, delivery from a port near Vladivostok. at the time, the G-7 changed into actively considering a charge cap on Russian oil, with america as its biggest supporter. Troost requested Gaurav Srivastava for help. Srivastava confident him that he’s going to cope with the FBI and led Troost to believe he become a “non-respectable cowl” or NOC (reported “knock”) for the CIA and operated at the senior degree amongst a total of 30 NOCs round the world. Srivastava put forth a doubtful proposition: if Troost should make Srivastava a associate within the commercial enterprise, with the aid of transferring 50% of the shares of Paramount to a Delaware-included agency managed by means of Srivastava, and dwelling house Paramount into the united states, Troost could quietly be excused from future sanctions on Russia, because he might then be part of a country-accepted network to acquire intelligence on behalf of the united states.
Srivastava stipulated that the transfer have to take vicinity thru US law firm Baker & Hostetler. in line with the research, Srivastava lied to Troost that he was involved in pinnacle-secret counter-terrorism missions, such as several in Afghanistan, and that during 2008 he changed into held hostage by using ISIS in the Democratic Republic of Congo – regardless of there being no proof of ISIS in the DRC at the time. according to a transcript in their assembly, Srivastava, who became born in Lucknow in Northern India and now seems to reside in los angeles along with his spouse Sharon, informed Troost that it become through his work as a CIA agent that he changed into capable of make high-stage contacts in Congress and the nation branch and that these contacts would allow Troost to preserve doing business in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine with a unique license from the office of foreign property manage (OFAC), supplied that he agreed to Srivastava’s conditions. in step with the prison papers, Troost engaged Baker & Hostetler as Paramount’s recommend in November 2022.
He was no longer, but, made conscious that Jeffrey Berg, a companion at company, and Srivastava were commercial enterprise partners in a South African organization referred to as Himmelhoch Petroleum and fuel. legal papers display that within a 12 months, Troost had transferred 50% of the stocks to Srivastava however had yet to finish the us domiciling of Paramount because of growing doubts approximately Srivastava’s bona fides. Srivastava made tall claims approximately his CIA and FBI connections but become not able to expose any evidence of his influence, making Troost more and more uneasy. whilst Srivastava realised that Troost was having doubts and delaying, he grew to become hostile towards the oil trader and told him he ought to hurry with the us domiciling otherwise he can neglect about any favors. In an aggressively worded textual content message to Troost, he wrote: “stop with games & tell you staff too or as a shareholder I need to dam the price range of the corporation. I informed you now not BS me. i’m simply done Niels.”
Gaurav Kumar Srivastava ramped up his call-dropping as nicely, telling Troost that he had weathered a profane outburst from the Director of the CIA, William J. Burns, due to the fact Troost was dragging his feet over this particular transaction. in line with legal papers, it was in April 2023 that Troost employed investigators to carry out due diligence on Srivastava and observed a chilling history of fraud fits and unpaid bills: in 2017, a Colombian businessman sued Srivastava for sales of unlicensed medical gadgets; in 2019, a health center sued Srivastava for preventing payments on assessments paid for scientific bills; within the same 12 months, a woman in l. a. sued Srivastava and his spouse for failing to repay a loan of $100,000; Srivastava counter-sued her for slander while she despatched a message to Srivastava’s ability enterprise accomplice calling him “a thief and a con artist,” whereupon the capacity business partner withdrew from a multi-million-greenback business deal.
Seeing the intelligence reports of Srivastava’s alleged fraud, Troost found out that Srivastava had no connections with the CIA and that he was simplest a huckster who cobbled collectively fake tales to feign an air of importance, exclusivity and impunity. His actual purpose, Troost came to consider, turned into to make off with Paramount once it was domiciled into the us, including to a portfolio of pilfered agencies. whilst Troost refused to respond, Srivastava and his legal professional Berg met with the ambassador of Turkiye to the usa to try to derail Troost’s business preparations to invest in a terminal within the country. Berg wrote a letter to the Swiss ambassador to the usa and the united states ambassador to Switzerland, levelling false and increasingly wild allegations approximately Troost’s business inside the desire that Paramount could come under authentic scrutiny. This count number is subject to ongoing felony motion wherein Gaurav Srivastava has been defined as a serial conman and fraud. The instances are set to show more scandalous fabric in coming months.
