Man accused of faking illness with make-up for five government jobs

A civil servant is accused of fraudulently managing multiple government positions by exploiting remote working and using sick notes. Kashim Chowdhury, 55, from Whitechapel, allegedly secured contracts for 183 hours of work per week across five jobs at one point, a workload exceeding the hours available in a seven-day period. Prosecutors allege this deception allowed him to earn close to £350,000 from eight different employers between February 2020 and September 2023.

Allegations of Deception

The trial at Southwark Crown Court heard that Chowdhury began his alleged scheme in February 2020 with a role at Tower Hamlets Council. This was followed by a position with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in April 2021. These two roles reportedly overlapped for over a year. By 2022, he had allegedly added a third job with the East London NHS Trust for four months. Following his departure from the council, he is said to have continued with Defra while simultaneously taking on further employment with the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department for Business and Trade, the Food Standards Agency, and the Home Office.

By May 2023, it is alleged Chowdhury was receiving payment for five full-time positions. Prosecutor Lucy Organ told the jury that Chowdhury made false statements about his existing employment status when applying for these roles. She stated that his employers would not have hired him had they known about his other full-time commitments. The court heard that Chowdhury also informed employers he needed to work from home to care for an unwell mother.

Faking Illness During Video Call

As his workload became unmanageable, his performance reportedly suffered. Prosecutors claim he took sick leave from some jobs while continuing to work in others. While signed off for 'mixed anxiety and a depressive disorder' for some roles, he did not provide sick notes to all employers. In May 2023, a UKHSA manager, Aleesha Adams, scheduled a video call to discuss his recent sick leave. At this time, he was allegedly working five jobs concurrently. During the Teams meeting, Chowdhury appeared to cough and blow his nose. Ms Adams noted his face seemed unnaturally white, with his neck a different colour. Prosecutors stated that Ms Adams observed make-up on his forehead beginning to separate, revealing his natural skin tone underneath. Ms Organ described this incident as a demonstration of how far Chowdhury was willing to go to deceive his employers.

Adding to the alleged deception, Chowdhury reportedly logged into the video call using a Defra email address. He is said to have told Ms Adams it might be an old account, a claim prosecutors labelled a lie intended to hide his simultaneous employment elsewhere.

Trial Continues

Kashim Chowdhury denies all nine fraud charges against him. The trial is ongoing at Southwark Crown Court.