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UK civil servant on trial over five public jobs tells jury he made mistakes
Kashim Chowdhury, on trial accused of fraudulently earning more than £284,000 from overlapping public-sector jobs, told Southwark Crown Court he made mistakes but denied criminal intent, the BBC reported [1].
- Our desk updated its story
- New headline Was: “Civil servant admits he 'made mistakes' juggling five government jobs”
- Our desk filed its story
Kashim Chowdhury, a 55-year-old civil servant from east London on trial in a fraud case over overlapping government jobs, told a jury at Southwark Crown Court that he made mistakes but said, "I do not believe there was criminal intent," the BBC reported Wednesday1.
Chowdhury faces nine counts of fraud and is accused of earning more than £284,000 by holding several full-time public-sector jobs at once without telling his employers1. He denies acting dishonestly or intending a dishonest gain1.
Prosecutors say that in spring 2023 he was employed at the same time by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office1. The jury was told those contracts added up to 183 hours a week, more than the 168 hours in a week, and that he was paid £11,000 for one month's work in 20231.
In his testimony, Chowdhury said he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2015 and described feeling overwhelmed and fearful of losing his income1. He said some managers at several employers, including Defra, Tower Hamlets council, East London NHS Trust and the Department of Health and Social Care, knew he had other jobs1. He described the jobs as a "lifeline" while he cared for his mother1.
The prosecution says he kept the jobs hidden by working fully remotely and used doctor's sick notes with some employers but not others, which prosecutors said showed dishonesty1. Former line managers have testified that his work was poor; Chowdhury told the court he rejected those criticisms1.
A line manager at the UK Health Security Agency previously testified that Chowdhury appeared on a 2023 video call wearing make-up; prosecuting barrister Lucy Organ cited that testimony as evidence of how far he went to deceive employers1.
The trial continues. As of publication, no other outlet had independently reported Wednesday's testimony, and all details here come from the BBC's courtroom report1.