Civil servant who juggled five jobs found guilty of fraud

Kashim Chowdhury, a civil servant from east London, has been found guilty of nine fraud offences after secretly holding overlapping public sector jobs. A jury convicted him of eight counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraud by failing to disclose information, after seven hours of deliberation. Prosecutors said he misled departments about his employment and exploited the system.

In spring 2023, Chowdhury had five government jobs and was contracted to work 183 hours a week, while earning more than £284,000 in taxpayers’ money. Between 2020 and 2023, he held eight overlapping full-time public sector roles in total, earning £350,000. He said past job insecurity, stress and trauma had influenced his decisions; the prosecution disputed his account and presented evidence about his work performance and sick leave.