Jurors found Chowdhury guilty of nine counts of fraud after deliberating for about seven hours.

Chowdhury, from Whitechapel in London, earned almost £350,000 from eight employers between February 2020 and September 2023, the court heard.

The total earned includes more than £280,000 in gross pay from employers for months when he had more than one full-time job, jurors were told.

The court has previously heard that Chowdhury had told employers he had to work from home to care for his “unwell” mother.

He was also signed off work for some jobs due to “mixed anxiety and a depressive disorder”, but did not hand his sick note to all his employers.

Chowdhury was remanded in custody on Monday, his birthday, and faces an immediate custodial sentence, with the prosecution suggesting a starting point of five years and a range between three and six years.

Judge Mark Weekes told Southwark Crown Court: “It seems to me that in consequence of events over the last few weeks, unfortunately this is a defendant whose world from his point of view must appear to be collapsing around him.”

“He’s the subject of High Court proceedings respect of his house, he’s now been convicted of nine counts of fraud.”

He added: “It seems to me a sentence such as that offers in these circumstances every incentive for a defendant to fail to surrender.

“This is, I must remind myself, a defendant, even with restraint measures in place, with access to substantial funds.”

The defendant wore a large grey knitted jumper and cut a forlorn figure as he stared blankly during proceedings.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said it will seek to reclaim Chowdhury’s fraudulent earnings through a proceeds of crime hearing.

Sarah Melo, specialist prosecutor at the CPS Serious Economic Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID), said Chowdhury “deliberately concealed” the extent of his employment activity.

She said: “Kashim Chowdhury deliberately concealed the true extent of his employment so that he could obtain and be paid for multiple full-time jobs at the same time.

“He repeatedly misrepresented the true nature of his employment status while continuing to receive full-time salaries from other public bodies.

“This was sustained and deliberate dishonesty. He knew he could not legitimately hold multiple full-time positions at the same time, but continued to conceal what he was doing.

“His actions were motivated by financial gain, allowing him to receive multiple salaries through his fraudulent conduct, which we will now seek to reclaim through the Proceeds of Crime Act.”

Chowdhury will be sentenced on January 29.

Civil Servant Who Juggled FIVE Whitehall Jobs Found Guilty: Taxpayers Left Facing £350,000 Fraud Scandal

A civil servant who secretly held multiple government jobs at the same time, collecting full-time salaries from different public bodies, has been found guilty of nine counts of fraud in a case that has raised serious questions about financial controls and accountability across Whitehall.

Kashim Chowdhury, 56, from Whitechapel in east London, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court after a trial examining how he managed to secure and maintain several overlapping public-sector positions between February 2020 and September 2023.

At the height of the arrangement, he was being paid for five full-time government jobs simultaneously. Prosecutors said he had misrepresented his employment circumstances when applying for positions and concealed his other jobs from employers.

Between 2020 and 2023, Chowdhury earned almost £350,000 from eight public-sector employers. More than £280,000 of that amount related to periods when he held overlapping full-time positions.

The jury reached its verdict after approximately seven hours of deliberation, finding him guilty of eight counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraud by failing to disclose information.

The case has attracted considerable attention because it involved public money, multiple government departments and weaknesses in the systems designed to prevent employees from holding incompatible positions.

Five Full-Time Jobs at Once

The scale of Chowdhury’s employment arrangements was central to the prosecution’s case.

He initially began working for Tower Hamlets Council in February 2020 before obtaining another position with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in April 2021.

The two jobs overlapped for more than a year.

In 2022, he also held a position with East London NHS Foundation Trust for approximately four months.

After leaving the council, he continued working for Defra while obtaining further positions across government departments and public bodies.

These included:

• Department of Health and Social Care.
• UK Health Security Agency.
• Department for Business and Trade.
• Food Standards Agency.
• Home Office.

By May 2023, he was receiving salaries from five full-time positions simultaneously.

Prosecutors told the court that his combined contractual working hours reached an extraordinary 183 hours per week.

That figure exceeds the total number of hours available in seven days.

The prosecution argued that the arrangement could not have been maintained honestly because the employers had not been informed about the full extent of his other employment.

How He Managed to Keep the Jobs Secret

One of the most important aspects of the case was the way Chowdhury allegedly used remote working arrangements to conceal his activities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, government departments and public organisations introduced widespread home-working arrangements.

These changes provided greater flexibility for employees but also created difficulties for managers attempting to monitor working patterns across separate organisations.

Prosecutors argued that Chowdhury exploited this environment to maintain multiple jobs without revealing his existing commitments.

He told employers that he needed to work from home to care for his elderly mother.

The court also heard that he supplied sick notes to certain employers while continuing to work for other organisations.

In March 2023, he was reportedly on sick leave from four organisations while continuing to work for another employer.

The prosecution presented this as evidence of deliberate dishonesty designed to protect his multiple salaries.

The White Make-Up Video Call

One of the most unusual details revealed during the trial involved a video meeting with a manager at the UK Health Security Agency.

Chowdhury had reportedly been absent from work for nearly three months, and his manager, Aleesha Adams, arranged a meeting to discuss his return.

During the video call, Adams noticed that he appeared unusually pale.

She told the court that he was coughing and using tissues while appearing visibly unwell.

However, she became suspicious when a white substance began separating from his forehead.

She described how the material appeared to rub away as the meeting continued, revealing darker skin underneath.

Prosecutors suggested that Chowdhury had applied white make-up to create the impression that he was seriously ill.

Chowdhury denied wearing make-up and disputed the prosecution’s interpretation of the incident.

The prosecution nevertheless used the episode as part of its wider argument that he had gone to considerable lengths to conceal his activities.

What Did the Defendant Say?

During the trial, Chowdhury admitted making mistakes but denied that he had acted with criminal intent.

He explained that his personal circumstances had become extremely difficult during the relevant period.

His mother’s health had deteriorated significantly, and he said that work had become a lifeline during an emotionally challenging period.

He also referred to previous employment difficulties and fears about losing his financial security.

His defence argued that stress and personal problems had affected his judgement.

However, the prosecution maintained that the evidence demonstrated repeated and deliberate misrepresentation.

The jury ultimately rejected his defence and convicted him on all nine counts.

The verdict established his criminal responsibility for the offences charged.

Government Departments Under Scrutiny

Although Chowdhury is responsible for his own criminal conduct, the case has also raised questions about how government departments manage recruitment and employment information.

How could one individual obtain multiple full-time positions across several public organisations without the duplication being detected earlier?

One explanation highlighted during reporting of the case is that government departments operated separate recruitment and human resources systems.

This meant that employment information was not always checked centrally across the public sector.

The National Fraud Initiative eventually identified an apparent overlap involving government employment records.

Its findings led to an investigation by Defra, followed by Chowdhury’s arrest in July 2023.

He was subsequently dismissed from the Civil Service in September 2023.

The case has therefore exposed weaknesses in the ability of public organisations to identify conflicting employment arrangements.

It has also raised questions about whether managers had sufficient information to assess employees’ actual workloads and performance.

Almost £350,000 of Public Money

The financial implications are another important part of the scandal.

Chowdhury received almost £350,000 from eight public-sector employers over the period examined by the court.

The prosecution identified more than £280,000 in gross payments relating to periods when he held multiple full-time positions.

The Crown Prosecution Service has indicated that it intends to pursue recovery of the proceeds of his offending through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

This process could allow authorities to seek recovery of money obtained through criminal conduct.

The final amount recoverable will depend on the relevant legal proceedings and financial evidence.

For taxpayers, the case highlights the importance of ensuring that public salaries are paid only in accordance with legitimate employment arrangements.

Every pound spent by a government department comes from public resources that could otherwise support healthcare, education, transport and other essential services.

A Wider Problem With Remote Working?

The case has also revived discussion about the risks associated with employees secretly holding several jobs.

Remote working has transformed the modern workplace.

Many employees now have greater flexibility over where and when they complete their duties.

For employers, this can improve recruitment, reduce commuting and provide opportunities for people with caring responsibilities.

However, remote working also requires effective management systems.

Employers must be able to establish whether employees are completing their contractual responsibilities, declaring relevant outside employment and complying with conflicts-of-interest policies.

The government has previously identified other cases involving employees receiving overlapping public-sector salaries.

The National Fraud Initiative has also reported cases of suspected multiple employment across public organisations.

These findings suggest that employment verification and data-sharing systems deserve closer attention.

However, legitimate multiple employment should not automatically be confused with fraud. Some individuals lawfully hold more than one job, provided they comply with their contractual obligations and disclose relevant conflicts.

The criminal issue in Chowdhury’s case was the deliberate misrepresentation established by the jury.

Sentence Expected in January 2027

Following the guilty verdict, Judge Mark Weekes indicated that Chowdhury should expect an immediate custodial sentence.

The prosecution suggested a starting point of five years, with a possible sentencing range between three and six years.

He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on 29 January 2027.

The Crown Prosecution Service has also indicated that it will seek to recover money obtained through the fraudulent conduct.

The sentencing hearing will determine the punishment imposed by the court.

Conclusion: A Serious Warning for Whitehall

The conviction of Kashim Chowdhury has exposed an extraordinary case of dishonesty involving multiple government employers and hundreds of thousands of pounds in public-sector salaries.

The jury found that he deliberately concealed his employment circumstances while continuing to receive payments from several organisations.

But the case also raises wider questions about the systems used to recruit, monitor and manage public employees.

Government departments must ensure that their employment records are sufficiently connected to identify potential conflicts and suspicious arrangements.

Remote working should provide flexibility, not create opportunities for fraud.

Ultimately, public confidence depends on government institutions maintaining high standards of honesty, transparency and accountability.

Taxpayers have every right to expect that public money is properly managed and that those entrusted with public responsibilities act with integrity.

The conviction sends a clear message that deliberately deceiving public employers to obtain multiple salaries can result in serious criminal consequences.

For Whitehall, the next challenge is ensuring that the weaknesses exposed by this case are addressed before another similar scandal emerges.