Civil Servant Found Guilty of Fraud After Secretly Holding Multiple Government Jobs

Kashim Chowdhury fraudulently collected more than £284,000 in taxpayers' money while secretly working across several public sector organisations. A jury has found him guilty of nine fraud offences after hearing how he concealed his overlapping employment and attempted to manage an impossible working schedule.

Published: 9 November 2026

A former civil servant who secretly held multiple full-time government jobs at the same time has been found guilty of nine counts of fraud after securing more than £284,000 in public money through dishonest employment arrangements.

Kashim Chowdhury, 56, from east London, was convicted following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. The jury reached its unanimous verdict after approximately seven hours of deliberations.

He was found guilty of eight counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraud by failing to disclose information.

The court heard that Chowdhury had taken advantage of weaknesses in employment checks across government departments, allowing him to hold several publicly funded positions without informing his employers that he was already working elsewhere.

The judge warned that Chowdhury faced a "very significant custodial sentence" and refused him bail, citing the seriousness of the offences and his own wellbeing.

Eight Public Sector Roles Between 2020 and 2023

The prosecution established that Chowdhury had held eight full-time public sector positions between 2020 and 2023, with overlapping periods of employment.

His total earnings across the various roles amounted to approximately £350,000. However, the prosecution said that more than £284,000 had been fraudulently obtained.

Among the organisations involved were:

• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

• Department of Health and Social Care

• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

• Department for Business and Trade

• Food Standards Agency

• Home Office

• Tower Hamlets

• East London NHS Trust

During the spring of 2023, Chowdhury was employed across several government departments and public bodies simultaneously.

At one point, his combined contractual working hours amounted to 183 hours every week — considerably more than the 168 hours available in a seven-day week.

The prosecution argued that he had deliberately misrepresented his employment circumstances when applying for positions and failed to tell departments that he was already working elsewhere.

How He Managed to Conceal the Multiple Jobs

The court heard that Chowdhury submitted employment applications containing inaccurate information about his existing work commitments.

Once he secured additional positions, he did not inform his employers that he had other full-time jobs.

He was also permitted to work entirely from home after telling employers that he was caring for his mother, who lived with him in east London.

His mother suffered from dementia and was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023.

However, the prosecution argued that rather than reducing his workload to manage his caring responsibilities, Chowdhury continued accepting further employment.

The case raised questions about how someone could maintain so many overlapping public sector contracts without the organisations involved identifying the situation sooner.

Chowdhury Blamed Previous Employment Difficulties

During the trial, Chowdhury attempted to explain why he had taken on so many jobs.

He told the court that previous experiences of insecure employment had left him frightened of losing his livelihood.

He had been made redundant from a position at the Department for Education in 2013 and had subsequently received a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Giving evidence, he said he had not been thinking clearly when applying for the various positions because of stress, distress and trauma.

He described being overwhelmed by panic and the fear of becoming unemployed again.

However, the prosecution rejected his explanation and accused him of deliberately deceiving employers and the court.

Prosecuting barrister Lucy Organ told the jury that Chowdhury had lied under oath, demonstrating the extent of the dishonesty involved.

Managers Raised Concerns About His Performance

The trial also heard evidence from several managers who had worked with Chowdhury during his overlapping employment.

One particularly critical account came from Dan McCartney, who managed him at Defra.

McCartney told the court that he frequently had to explain what Chowdhury needed to do, saying he had to "effectively tell him what to do the whole time".

He also described difficulties during video meetings, claiming Chowdhury regularly kept his camera switched off and blamed technical problems.

According to McCartney, this continued for between four and five months.

Despite these concerns, Chowdhury was not placed under formal performance management procedures at Defra. He was eventually given a permanent position and remained with the department for approximately two years.

Allegations of Fake Sickness During Video Calls

Another significant part of the prosecution case concerned Chowdhury's use of sick leave while continuing to work for other organisations.

In March 2023, he was on sick leave from four of the public sector bodies employing him.

However, the prosecution said he continued working for the Home Office without informing that department that he was off sick elsewhere.

The court heard that his UK Health Security Agency manager, Aleesha Adams, arranged a video meeting with him in May 2023.

By then, Chowdhury had been absent through sickness for approximately three months. Adams wanted to discuss arrangements for his return to work.

She told the jury that Chowdhury appeared to be coughing frequently and repeatedly held tissues up towards the camera.

Adams also alleged that he appeared to be wearing white make-up in an attempt to look unwell.

She described how the make-up appeared to come away from his forehead during the meeting, leaving darker areas visible underneath.

Chowdhury denied wearing make-up and described the allegation as a smear.

Following the meeting, Adams discovered that he had joined using an email address associated with Defra rather than the UKHSA.

When questioned about this, he blamed a technical problem.

The discovery increased her suspicions, and she escalated her concerns within the organisation.

Despite the concerns being raised, the prosecution said the fraudulent activity continued for several more months.

Chowdhury eventually left the civil service in September 2023.

Government Fraud Checks Eventually Exposed the Scheme

Chowdhury's activities were finally uncovered in 2024 through the government's National Fraud Initiative.

The initiative carries out checks across public sector databases, including payroll records, to identify unusual patterns and potential cases of fraud.

Its investigations can highlight situations where individuals appear to be receiving multiple salaries from different public bodies at the same time.

In Chowdhury's case, the checks helped expose the overlapping employment arrangements that had continued for several years.

His conviction now follows a lengthy period in which he had managed to maintain multiple public sector positions without properly disclosing his other employment.

A Serious Case Involving Taxpayers' Money

The case has highlighted the importance of effective employment checks and financial safeguards across government departments.

Public sector organisations rely on taxpayers' money to fund essential services, pay employees and deliver vital work.

The ability of one individual to secure several full-time publicly funded positions without the organisations identifying the overlapping contracts has raised questions about the effectiveness of existing monitoring arrangements.

The judge's warning that Chowdhury faces a significant prison sentence indicates the seriousness with which the court views the offences.

His conviction is now established, although the final punishment will be determined at sentencing.

The Real Terryo Daily Round-Up Says

This case raises serious questions about responsibility, honesty and the protection of taxpayers' money.

Public sector jobs are funded by the public, and people employed in those positions are expected to act with integrity and provide the service they are being paid to deliver.

Holding multiple jobs is not automatically illegal. However, deliberately concealing employment, providing false information and claiming public money through fraudulent arrangements is a very different matter.

What makes this case particularly concerning is the scale of the overlapping employment. The court heard that Chowdhury was contracted to work 183 hours a week, while several public organisations were apparently unaware of his other commitments.

It also raises questions about why the checks designed to protect public money did not identify the situation sooner.

Government departments and public bodies must ensure that employment and payroll systems are sufficiently robust to prevent similar cases from happening again.

Taxpayers have every right to expect that public money is properly protected and that those receiving salaries from public funds are genuinely fulfilling their responsibilities.