Former civil servant convicted of fraud after holding five public sector jobs at once

Kashim Chowdhury, 56, a former civil servant, has been convicted of fraud at Southwark Crown Court in London. He was found guilty of nine counts after a two-week trial. According to the BBC News description, he took £284,000 of taxpayers' money in this way over three years.

How it worked

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says that between 2020 and 2023 Chowdhury repeatedly applied for jobs in government departments and public bodies while concealing that he already had full-time work elsewhere. His application forms contained declarations that the information was true and complete, and he understood that knowingly making a false statement was a criminal offence.

For more than a year he worked in full-time roles for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). He then added another full-time job with East London NHS Trust. During 2022 he held positions with Defra, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department for Business and Trade, the Food Standards Agency and the Home Office.

From 20 March to 31 May 2023 he had five full-time jobs at once and, according to the CPS, was contracted to 183 hours of work a week. He worked remotely from home, telling employers he needed to care for his elderly mother.

How it came to light

In May 2023 a meeting was held with his line manager at UKHSA and an HR case worker about his long-term sickness absence. The line manager noticed that Chowdhury had joined the meeting from a Defra email address. Asked about it, he spoke of a technical problem and said he had used his personal laptop.

The case came to light, however, through a National Fraud Initiative data check, which showed he was employed by two government departments at the same time. He was arrested in July 2023 and made no comment when interviewed.

The investigation was carried out by Defra's counter-fraud team. Specialist prosecutors in the CPS Proceeds of Crime Division will now seek to recover the money. Prosecutor Sarah Melo described it as "sustained and deliberate dishonesty".

What this means for you

The case does not change any rules. It does show that public bodies compare employment data through the National Fraud Initiative. False statements on public sector job applications can lead to criminal charges. Anyone working more than one job should check the terms of their contracts and any duty to tell employers about other work.