Civil Servant Denies Faking Illness with Makeup Amidst Five-Job Fraud Allegations

A civil servant accused of working five full-time jobs simultaneously and defrauding government departments has denied using makeup to feign illness during an online meeting. Kashim Chowdhury, 55, is alleged to have exploited remote work policies to hold multiple positions from various government agencies, including the Food Standards Agency, the Home Office, and the Department for Business and Trade.

His fraud trial at Southwark Crown Court has heard that between February 2020 and September 2023, Chowdhury held eight positions, accumulating a total salary of £349,378. In April 2023 alone, he allegedly received £11,015.62 in take-home pay from five employers, followed by £8,745.88 in May. At the height of his alleged employment, he was purportedly contracted for 183 hours per week, exceeding the total hours in a standard week.

Chowdhury had reportedly claimed he needed to work remotely to care for his elderly mother and took sick leave to manage his workload. Prosecutors allege that when his employers grew suspicious, he applied "crumbling" white makeup to his face to appear unwell. However, Chowdhury testified that he did not deliberately act sick during a May 10 meeting and was genuinely suffering from a cold.

"I have never worn any make-up in my life and I didn't need to wear make-up on that day," Chowdhury told the court when questioned by his barrister, Pieter Briegel, about the alleged makeup and a perceived difference in skin color. He also denied making a performance of coughing or blowing his nose, stating, "That day I did have a genuine cold." He confirmed he did not wave tissues at his screen.

Chowdhury's defense presented his actions as a result of significant mental health struggles, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which resurfaced in 2021 while he was working for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Tower Hamlets council. He stated he had applied for hundreds of public sector jobs in a desperate search for stable employment.

He denied deliberately concealing existing jobs on application forms, attributing his omissions to a state of "severe trauma and distress." For example, while employed by Defra since April 2021, he answered "No" to being a civil servant on another application. He explained his response by saying he was "not thinking about the definition of a civil servant" and felt he was in a "precarious position at Defra." When challenged by Judge Mark Weekes about this seemingly contradictory explanation, Chowdhury stated his judgment was impaired by severe trauma and distress.

Regarding an application to the UK Health Security Agency in August 2022, which omitted three other jobs, Chowdhury maintained it was not a deliberate act but rather a consequence of being under "considerable trauma and distress." He claimed he wasn't checking what he was saying or doing on the forms, prioritizing submitting them quickly. He also argued that shorter-term contract jobs were not relevant to his applications.

Chowdhury also faced questions about an overlapping contract with an east London NHS trust and his employment at Defra and Tower Hamlets. He admitted informing a manager about his Tower Hamlets job but not his Defra role, stating it "wasn't relevant to this position." He insisted there was no conflict of interest, claiming an agreement allowed him to complete work during evenings and weekends.

He further stated that he accepted positions with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and UK Health Security Agency despite not wanting the jobs. According to Chowdhury, these offers coincided with his mother's deteriorating health, and he had discussed his reluctance with his line managers.

Chowdhury, of Whitechapel, denies nine counts of fraud. The trial is ongoing.