A 56-year-old British civil servant, Kashim Chowdhury, has been convicted of nine counts of fraud after secretly holding eight full-time public-sector jobs simultaneously and earning approximately £350,000 in overlapping salaries.
Chowdhury, from Whitechapel in east London, was found guilty on Monday, November 9, 2026, at Southwark Crown Court following a two-week trial. The jury unanimously convicted him of eight counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraud by failure to disclose after seven hours of deliberation.
Prosecutors told the court that Chowdhury exploited the remote-working arrangements introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to conceal his multiple employment contracts. He also allegedly took sick leave from some employers while continuing to work in other positions.
Between February 2020 and September 2023, he worked for eight public-sector institutions, including Tower Hamlets Council, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), East London NHS Trust, the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency, the Department for Business and Trade, the Food Standards Agency and the Home Office.
Court proceedings revealed that his individual jobs paid between £38,000 and £53,000 annually. More than £284,000 of his total earnings represented gross payments received during periods when he held multiple full-time positions.
In one particularly striking period between March and May 2023, Chowdhury was contracted to work 183 hours per week, exceeding the total 168 hours available in seven days.
Prosecutor Lucy Organ told the jury that he had deliberately concealed his existing employment when applying for the positions, describing his conduct as intentional dishonesty and an exploitation of the public-sector employment system.
His activities were uncovered in 2024 through the government’s National Fraud Initiative, which matches public-sector payroll and other records to identify potential fraud. An investigation was subsequently conducted by Defra’s Counter Fraud and Investigations team.
Following the conviction, Judge Mark Weekes refused Chowdhury bail, saying he faced a very significant custodial sentence. He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on January 29, 2027.
Prosecutors have proposed a starting point of five years’ imprisonment, within a suggested range of three to six years. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has also indicated that it will seek to recover the proceeds of his fraudulent earnings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
CPS specialist prosecutor Sarah Melo said Chowdhury deliberately concealed his employment arrangements to obtain multiple salaries and that authorities would pursue the recovery of the money.
A Defra spokesperson also condemned his actions, saying he had abused the trust placed in him as a public servant and defrauded taxpayers of almost £285,000.
Story by Ama Frimpomaa
