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Draft:Gaurav Srivastava

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  • Comment: We have several "According to..." or "Lawsuit states..." claims, but they aren't sourced for some reason! ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 00:43, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
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Gaurav Srivastava
Born
Lucknow, India
CitizenshipIndian
Occupation(s)Businessman and philanthropist
Organization(s)Gaurav and Sharon Srivastava Family Foundation
SpouseSharon Srivastava
Children2
Websitehttps://gauravandsharonsrivastavafoundation.org/

Gaurav Srivastava is a businessman, philanthropist, strategic investor in frontier markets and the founder of the Gaurav and Sharon Srivastava Family Foundation.[1][2] Since 2024, Srivastava has been locked in a legal and media dispute with former business partner Niels Troost.[3]

Career

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Srivastava is an investor in global energy markets.[4] Gaurav Srivastava is also the chairman of Unity Resources Group, Inc, a company registered in Wyoming on 18 August 2020.[5]

Srivastava also frequently writes and shares opinions on web platforms as an energy analyst. In this regard, he has published his analysis articles on web outlets such as Vanguard, Entrepeneur India and Gulf Today.[6][4][7]

Business Dispute with Niels Troost

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Background

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In 2022, Srivastava invested in veteran Russian-oil trader Niels Troost’s Swiss-based energy trading companies.[3] Amid tightening Western sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Srivastava was supposed to help pivot the company away from Russian oil.[3] In early 2023, an audit revealed[8] that Troost’s companies continued trading in Russian oil, in violation of sanctions and the price caps.[9][10] Srivastava reported these violations to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs,[8] and Troost was subsequently sanctioned by Switzerland,[11] the European Union,[12] the United Kingdom,[13] and Monaco.[14]

Niels Troost's claims

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Niels Troost did not deny that he continued trading in sanctioned Russian oil and violation of the price caps. He has claimed that he was misled by Srivastava to believe his companies held an OFAC license provided under a secret CIA program.[15] However, Troost admitted that he has never seen the OFAC license nor met any CIA, OFAC or US Treasury officials, and that he violated sanctions solely on Srivastava’s word after Srivastava misrepresented himself as a CIA spy.[16][17]

Gaurav Srivastava’s version of events

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Srivastava maintains that Troost’s claims are unsubstantiated and their sole purpose is to provide a defense for Troost’s sanctions violations.[18]

Disinformation campaigns

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Troost claimed that his sanctioning by the European Union was triggered by a disinformation campaign conducted against him by Srivastava.[16] Srivastava claimed that he has been subjected to a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at undermining his credibility and deflecting attention from the underlying allegations.[19] A series of negative media reports appeared in Asian publications[20], eventually echoed by mainstream outlets including the Wall Street Journal[3] and Financial Times.[17] Srivastava has been accused of abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act[21] process in order to de-list negative articles against him from search engines. A court ruling in India ordered several media outlets to remove articles about Srivastava found to be unsubstantiated, defamatory and paid for as well as compelling Google and Yahoo to remove these articles from search results.[22]

Targeted podcast

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Srivastava’s case and its broader implications were explored in detail in an April 2025 episode of the Targeted podcast,[8] which examines the intersection of legal disputes, media narratives, and reputational risk. The podcast established that in addition to Srivastava, Troost had previously accused another former business partner of posing as a CIA spy. The podcast also interviewed a paid Wikipedia editor who was hired to post an attack page against Srivastava. The editor was later removed and blocked from Wikipedia after an internal investigation found him to be a sockpuppet.[23]

Other controversies

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Amidst the disinformation campaign against Srivastava, several organizations and causes had distanced themselves from Srivastva and returned contributions, including the Atlantic Council, the Biden Victory Fund and the DCCC.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Gaurav & Sharon Srivastava Family Foundation". Gaurav and Sharon Srivastava Family Foundation. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
  2. ^ "Home". Gaurav Srivastava. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  3. ^ a b c d "A Fake Spy, Russian Oil and $1 Million Funneled to Democrats". World Street Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b gulftoday (2024-11-06). "Gaurav Srivastava on how energy security concerns and geopolitical turmoil challenge philanthropists globally". gulftoday. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  5. ^ "Summons - SUMMONS ON COMPLAINT March 23, 2021". Trellis.Law. 2021-03-23. Archived from the original on 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
  6. ^ Okogba, Emmanuel (2024-09-18). "In light of ongoing global instability Nigeria's oil and gas industry is as strategic as ever". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  7. ^ Bajaj, Swara (2024-10-11). "Recognizing Opportunities in Times of Uncertainty". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  8. ^ a b c "Gaurav Srivastava". Targeted. Retrieved 19 May 2025.[unreliable source?]
  9. ^ "The price ain't right". Global Witness. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  10. ^ "EU imposes sanctions on oil trader Niels Troost over alleged Russian involvement". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Niels Troost". Open Sanctions. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  12. ^ "EU adds Niels Troost to Russia sanctions list". Reuters. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  13. ^ "New UK sanctions mark 2 years since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine". UK Government. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  14. ^ "National Asset Freezing List - Niels Troost". Gels des Fonds. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  15. ^ "The Old 'I'm a Secret Spy, Pay Me' Con". Whale Hunting. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Europe's only sanctioned oil trader appeals against decision, citing 'disinformation'". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Niels Troost has a staggering story to tell about how he got sanctioned". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  18. ^ "The Manufacturing of a Scandal: How Gaurav Srivastava Was Rewritten Online". EU Policies. Retrieved 19 May 2025.[unreliable source?]
  19. ^ "How a Shadowy Disinformation Campaign Targeted Gaurav Srivastava". EU Policies. Retrieved 19 May 2025.[unreliable source?]
  20. ^ "Video: System Abuse & How to Fight It: Sanctions, Red Notices & Black Lists". Off Shore Alert. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Dirt on Gaurav Srivastava aired in public as Tumblr shuts fraudulent blogs". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Gaurav Srivastava Disinformation". Digital Newswire. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  23. ^ "he Manufacturing of a Scandal: How Gaurav Srivastava Was Rewritten Online". Targeted. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Biden ices a controversial donor". Politico. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
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