Civil Servant Accused of Holding Multiple Government Jobs Allegedly Performed Poorly

Kashim Chowdhury, 55, is facing a fraud trial where he is accused of exploiting remote work policies to hold down multiple government positions concurrently. Prosecutors allege that Chowdhury secured roles with departments including the Home Office, Defra, and the Department of Health and Social Care, claiming he needed to work from home to care for his sick mother.

Witnesses described Chowdhury's performance as 'very poor' and that he struggled with what were termed 'very basic' tasks. Abigail Mounde, his line manager at the Department of Business and Trade between December 2022 and May 2023, testified that Chowdhury did not operate at the expected grade. She stated that when he first joined, he asked few questions about his role and completed tasks late or to a substandard level. Mounde also recalled frustration over Chowdhury's failure to organize a meeting with his colleagues, a task she described as rudimentary.

Jurors were told that Chowdhury appeared to lack initiative and did not ask questions, leading his manager to approach HR concerned about his probation period. He was reportedly told by HR that Chowdhury was experiencing depression due to his mother's cancer diagnosis, and he was referred to occupational health. At the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Chowdhury was described as 'ineffective' in his £52,000 salary role, again attributing his difficulties to his mother's illness.

Further testimony from Carol Hedland, a line manager at the UK Health Security Agency, indicated that Chowdhury allegedly hung up the phone on her when she called to discuss his poor work. She described his conduct, attitude, productivity, performance, and attendance as 'very poor,' with the work produced being of substandard quality. On one occasion, it was heard that Chowdhury allegedly applied white makeup in an attempt to deceive employers into believing he was ill.

Over a three-year period, Chowdhury is alleged to have earned nearly £350,000 from eight employers. He reportedly received more than £280,000 in gross pay from employers during periods when he held more than one full-time job simultaneously. At one point, his contracted hours across various roles were reported to be 183 hours per week, exceeding the 168 hours in a seven-day week.

Chowdhury, who resides in Whitechapel, east London, denies nine counts of fraud. The trial is ongoing.