Civil Servant Who Juggled Five Jobs Found Guilty of Fraud

A jury at Southwark Crown Court found civil servant Kashim Chowdhury guilty of nine counts of fraud. Prosecutors said he concealed holding up to five full-time government jobs at once.

• £350,000, almost, earned from eight employers between February 2020 and September 2023.
• £280,000-plus came from months when he held multiple full-time jobs.
• 183 hours a week: his contracted total at one point.
• Seven hours of jury deliberation preceded the verdict.

Why it matters: Prosecutors said Chowdhury used pandemic-era remote work to hide his jobs. They said he took sick leave from some employers to manage the load.

• Employers included Defra, the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency.
• Prosecutor Lucy Organ said no employer would have hired him knowing the facts.

How 5 sources split on this story

What’s next: Chowdhury awaits sentencing. The reporting gives no date or likely penalty.

• Will the employers recover any of the pay?
• How did eight public bodies miss the overlapping employment?
• Will departments change hiring or remote-work checks?