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How a civil servant got away with juggling five jobs for so long
Kashim Chowdhury was found guilty of nine fraud offences after holding overlapping civil service jobs and fraudulently receiving more than £284,000 in public money. The case has raised questions about how government departments check staff employment and share information.
From 2020 to 2023, Chowdhury had eight overlapping full-time public-sector jobs and was paid about £350,000 in total; at one point he was contracted for 183 hours a week. He continued working in multiple roles until leaving the Civil Service in September 2023, and was identified the following year through the National Fraud Initiative. The article says departments hire independently and their human resources systems are not centralised, allowing him to avoid detection.
In short
- Chowdhury was convicted of nine counts of fraud.
- He held eight overlapping public-sector jobs.
- Weak links between departments helped the fraud go undetected.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The case suggests that departments need stronger shared checks to protect public money and ensure staff meet their contractual duties. A common system for verifying employment and hours could have exposed overlapping appointments sooner, while still allowing proportionate safeguards for privacy and fair treatment.
The case against
Departments may reasonably balance fraud prevention against the cost and complexity of centralising HR systems, and avoid treating multiple public-sector roles as suspicious without evidence. Independent hiring can support local accountability, and checks should be designed carefully so they do not unfairly penalise legitimate second jobs or create excessive monitoring of staff.