Civil servant denies fraud over five overlapping jobs

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 22 Oct, 16:33 · Archive

A civil servant is accused of fraudulently juggling five full-time government jobs simultaneously and pocketing £349,378.

Kashim Chowdhury, a 55-year-old civil servant from east London, is on trial accused of nine counts of fraud after allegedly holding five full-time government jobs simultaneously without declaring the positions to employers. He denies acting dishonestly or intending to make a dishonest gain.

The prosecution alleges that in spring 2023, Chowdhury was employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office. He was contracted to work 183 hours a week across these positions, earning a total of £349,378 over three years. Each job paid a full-time wage, with Chowdhury receiving £11,000 in a single month in 2023.

Chowdhury told the court he was "in a panic" and "not thinking straight" when he applied for the Department of Health job whilst already working at Defra. He said he feared losing his Defra position and was uncertain about his future at the time. The prosecution said he had already secured three full-time jobs, including roles at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and East London NHS Trust, when he applied for further positions.

How it is being reported

• 'I wasn't thinking straight' says five jobs civil servantKashim Chowdhury is accused of fraudulently juggling multiple public sector jobs.BBC Business · 22 Oct, 16:05
• 'Fraudster' civil servant who worked five jobs at the same time denies wearing make-up to fake illness during online meetingKashim Chowdhury, 55, has claimed that he never meant to defraud anyone when he allegedly lied to secure five overlapping government jobs, pocketing a total of £349,378 in three years.Daily Mail · 22 Oct, 15:08

In this story: Kashim Chowdhury · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · UK Health Security Agency · Food Standards Agency · Department for Business and Trade · Home Office · London Borough of Tower Hamlets · East London NHS Trust

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