Civil servant found guilty of fraud for holding five jobs

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 9 Nov, 16:09 · Archive

Kashim Chowdhury has been convicted of nine counts of fraud for secretly holding multiple overlapping full-time government jobs and earning almost £350,000 between 2020 and 2023.

Kashim Chowdhury, 56, from Whitechapel in east London, has been convicted of nine counts of fraud at Southwark Crown Court after a jury deliberated for about seven hours. The verdicts were returned on his birthday. He stared straight ahead as they were read.

Between February 2020 and September 2023, Chowdhury held eight overlapping full-time roles across government departments and public bodies, earning almost £350,000 in total. This includes more than £280,000 in gross pay during months when he held multiple jobs simultaneously. To obtain these positions, he lied about his employment status on application forms and failed to disclose to his employers that he was already working as a civil servant elsewhere.

Once hired, Chowdhury exploited the work-from-home culture that developed during the Covid-19 pandemic to hide his multiple jobs. In spring 2023, he held positions at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Department for Business and Trade, the Food Standards Agency and the Home Office. During this period, he was contracted to work 183 hours a week, despite there being only 168 hours in seven days.

To manage this impossible workload, Chowdhury took sick leave and holidays from some employers. In one incident, prosecutors described as 'laughable', he allegedly wore white make-up during a video call with a boss to appear ill. The prosecution told the court that Chowdhury told employers he was working entirely from home because he was caring for his mother, who had dementia and was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023. Rather than reduce his workload when she fell ill, he continued to take on new jobs.

Chowdhury denied trying to deceive employers, claiming he had met the demands of each role and asserting that evidence proving his innocence had been lost by investigators. The jury rejected these claims and unanimously found him guilty of eight counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraud by failure to disclose. The Crown Prosecution Service said it will seek to reclaim his fraudulent earnings through a proceeds of crime hearing. He will be sentenced at a later date, with the maximum sentence for fraud being ten years in prison.

How it is being reported

• Civil servant convicted of fraud after juggling up to five Government jobsBetween February 2020 and September 2023, Kashim Chowdhury earned almost £350,000 from eight employers, his trial heard.Evening Standard · 9 Nov, 15:51
• Civil servant who juggled multiple government jobs found guilty of fraudAt one point, Chowdhury was contracted to work 183 hours a week – more hours than actually exist in seven daysThe Independent · 9 Nov, 15:32
• Civil servant found guilty of fraud after secretly working FIVE full-time jobs at onceKashim Chowdhury was found guilty of nine counts of fraudEvening Standard · 9 Nov, 15:32
• Civil servant who duped bosses to hold down five jobs at the same time faces jail after being convicted of £280,000 fraud - with siblings now suing him over their dead mum's willKashim Chowdhury has been convicted of fraudulently holding down five taxpayer-funded jobs at the same time, racking up hundreds of thousands of pounds illegally by exploiting remote working.Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 15:21
• Civil servant who juggled five jobs found guilty of fraudKashim Chowdhury had secretly held multiple public sector jobs on full-time salaries.BBC News · 9 Nov, 15:19

In this story: Kashim Chowdhury · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Department of Health and Social Care · UK Health Security Agency · Department for Business and Trade · Food Standards Agency · Home Office · Southwark Crown Court

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 · Corrections log