Civil servant accused of fraud for holding five government jobs

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 16:20 · Archive

Kashim Chowdhury, 55, is accused of fraudulently holding multiple full-time government posts simultaneously and being paid for all of them.

Kashim Chowdhury, 55, is accused of fraud for holding multiple full-time government jobs simultaneously between 2020 and 2023. Prosecutors at Southwark Crown Court say he lied about his employment status to secure overlapping roles across several government departments and public bodies, including the Home Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department of Health and Social Care.

Between February 2020 and September 2023, Chowdhury earned nearly £350,000 from eight employers. More than £280,000 of this came during months when he held more than one full-time job. At one point, prosecutors say, he was contracted to work 183 hours a week across five positions – more hours than exist in seven days.

The Evening Standard reports that Chowdhury exploited remote working, which became common during the Covid-19 pandemic, to hide his multiple jobs and used sick leave from some employers to manage the workload. In one incident described by prosecutor Lucy Organ, he allegedly wore white make-up during a video call with his boss to appear ill. Chowdhury denies nine counts of fraud and his trial is ongoing at Southwark Crown Court.

How it is being reported

• Civil servant used ‘remote working and sick leave’ to juggle several jobs, court hearsThe court heard that at one point, Kashim Chowdhury was contracted to work 183 hours a week across five rolesThe Independent · 13 Oct, 16:47
• Civil servant ‘secretly juggled five full-time WFH jobs raking in £350,000’Civil servant Kashim Chowdhury, 54, arrives at Southwark Crown Court, London, where he is on trial accused of fraud (Picture: PA) A civil servant ‘exploited’ work from home culture to obtain a string of overlapping full-time jobs, a court has heard. At one point, Kashim Chowdhury’s contracted…Metro · 13 Oct, 16:24
• Civil servant ‘used remote working to fraudulently juggle jobs’Kashim Chowdhury is accused of lying about his employment status to get a string of overlapping full-time roles.Evening Standard · 13 Oct, 16:02
• Civil servant fraudulently held down FIVE government jobs at the same time, court toldKashim Chowdhury, 55, is accused of fraud by holding down - and being paid for - multiple full-time government jobs at the same time.Daily Mail · 13 Oct, 15:19

In this story: Kashim Chowdhury · Home Office · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Department of Health and Social Care · Southwark Crown Court · Tower Hamlets Council · Whitechapel

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem