Niels Troost, a Dutch oil trader, was sanctioned by the UK in February 2024 for dealing in illicit Russian oil. Later, the European Union and Switzerland followed suit in December 2024, making him one of only two Europeans subjected to such penalties.
Troost’s defense was remarkable—and dubious. He claimed his actions were authorized by the CIA, relying solely on verbal assurances from Gaurav Srivastava about a special license issued by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Yet, Troost admitted he had never seen any CIA documentation, met a CIA official, or entered a CIA facility.
This isn’t the first time Troost has invoked the “CIA cover story” defense. In 2019, he claimed another associate posing as a CIA operative duped him into a Venezuelan “oil-for-humanitarian-aid” deal. Troost was also linked to the infamous 2005 Iraqi “oil-for-food” scandal.
The disinformation campaign against Srivastava has featured hundreds of paid articles in obscure media outlets, Wikipedia smear pages and harassing phone calls targeting school communities and business contacts.
If you want to find out more about the Gaurav Srivastava scandal you can do so here:
Gaurav Srivastava Scandal YouTube Channel
Gaurav Srivastava Scandal Facebook page
Gaurav Srivastava Scandal X Account
Gaurav Srivastava Scandal on Medium