Civil Servant Accused of Juggling Five Full-Time Public Sector Jobs

A civil servant is accused of fraudulently holding down five full-time jobs simultaneously, working an alleged 183 hours per week while claiming full-time pay for each position. Kashim Chowdhury was employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Home Office in the spring of 2023.

Prosecutors allege that Chowdhury exploited the remote work environment, adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, to conceal his multiple roles and took sick leave from some employers to manage his workload. He reportedly earned approximately £11,000 in a single month in 2023.

Chowdhury, however, told the court that he had not intended to take on all the positions, particularly those at the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office. He stated that a flurry of applications led to job offers arriving simultaneously. "I had discussions with my line managers saying that I did not want these jobs and explained my circumstances," Chowdhury told the jury. He described these roles as short-term and probationary, with his primary focus being his mother's care.

He testified that his mother's health deteriorated around May and June 2022, an event he described as overwhelming and destructive. He characterized the jobs as his "lifeline at the time," offering a connection to the outside world and a distraction from his personal struggles caring for his mother.

The prosecution contends that Chowdhury used his mother's care as a pretext to manage the overlapping employment, claiming he "exploited this opportunity" due to the fully remote nature of his work. The trial is ongoing.