Civil Servant Convicted of Fraud for Holding Five Full-Time Government Jobs

A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday found civil servant Kashim Chowdhury guilty of nine counts of fraud for secretly holding several full-time government jobs at once. At one point his contracts added up to 183 hours a week, more hours than exist in seven days, the BBC reported.

The judge told Chowdhury he faces a "very significant custodial sentence" and refused him bail. A sentencing date was not given in the reports.

What did the jury decide?

After about seven hours of deliberation, jurors unanimously convicted Chowdhury, of east London, on eight counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraud by failure to disclose, according to the BBC. The Independent reported the same verdicts.

Reports differ on his age. The BBC gave it as 56, while the Independent said 55.

How much money was involved?

Between February 2020 and September 2023, Chowdhury held eight public sector roles with overlapping periods and earned about £350,000 in total, the BBC and the Independent reported. The BBC said he fraudulently earned more than £284,000 of taxpayers' money. The Independent said jurors were told that more than £280,000 of his gross pay came from months when he held more than one full-time job.

In the spring of 2023 he had five overlapping government jobs, the BBC reported. They were at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office, with the Food Standards Agency also named among his employers.

How did he manage to hold so many jobs?

Prosecutors said Chowdhury gave inaccurate details about his employment status on application forms and did not tell departments he was already a civil servant. After being hired, he did not tell his employers about his other work, the BBC reported.

He was allowed to work entirely from home because he said he was caring for his mother, who had dementia and was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023. Prosecutors told the court he exploited the work-from-home culture that began during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Independent.

They also argued he used sick leave to cope with the workload. In March 2023 he was on sick leave from four of his employers while continuing to work at the Home Office without telling it he was ill, the BBC reported.

What did managers tell the court?

Several managers described poor performance. Dan McCartney, who managed him at Defra, said he had to direct Chowdhury constantly and that Chowdhury kept his camera off during video calls for four to five months, citing technical problems. McCartney said that because no formal performance measures applied, Chowdhury was given a permanent post and stayed about two years.

Aleesha Adams, a line manager at the UK Health Security Agency, told jurors that in a May 2023 video call Chowdhury coughed heavily, waved tissues at the camera and appeared to be wearing white make-up that began to come off as he sweated. Chowdhury told the jury this was a smear and that he wore no make-up. Adams also said he had logged in with a Defra email address and blamed a technical error when she asked about it.

What was his defense?

Chowdhury told the court he took on so many roles because he feared losing his livelihood after earlier insecure employment. He was made redundant from a Department for Education job in 2013 and was diagnosed with PTSD. He said stress, distress and panic left him unable to think clearly when applying. He also described work as his "lifeline" and said his mother's health worsened around May and June 2022.

Prosecutor Lucy Organ told jurors he lied under oath and said he would not have been hired had employers known about his other full-time jobs.

Why does it matter?

The case involved public money across several departments and agencies. According to the BBC, the scheme ran for months after a manager grew suspicious and raised concerns in May 2023. Chowdhury left the civil service in September 2023.

He was caught in 2024 by the government's National Fraud Initiative, which searches civil service databases such as payroll for anomalies every two years, the BBC reported. The testimony also showed that remote working and the absence of formal performance measures meant that in at least one department, his work went unchallenged long enough for him to be made permanent.

What happens next?

Chowdhury remains in custody after the judge refused bail, citing the seriousness of the crime and Chowdhury's own wellbeing. The judge said a significant prison term was likely. The length of any sentence has not been announced.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by BBC, The Independent, BBC News