A 55-year-old British civil servant is facing trial over allegations that he secured multiple public sector jobs using false information about his employment status and received nearly £350,000 in salaries while working for several government bodies at the same time.

Kashim Chowdhury, from east London, is accused of nine counts of fraud relating to jobs held between February 2020 and September 2023. According to BBC News, prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court that his overlapping appointments included positions at Tower Hamlets Council, the Home Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the UK Health Security Agency and the Department of Health and Social Care. Chowdhury denies the charges and maintains that he did not act dishonestly or intend to obtain money fraudulently.

The court heard that Chowdhury allegedly used sick leave and remote working arrangements to manage his multiple employment commitments. Prosecutors said he told employers he needed to work from home to care for his unwell mother, while his performance eventually deteriorated under the demands of the overlapping roles.

In one incident in 2023, his manager at the UK Health Security Agency, Aleesha Adams, reportedly noticed that Chowdhury had applied white make-up to his face during a video meeting convened to discuss his absence from work. The make-up allegedly began separating on his forehead, revealing his natural skin underneath. Prosecutor Lucy Organ told the court that the incident illustrated the lengths he was allegedly prepared to go to conceal his activities.

The alleged fraud came to light after the National Fraud Initiative flagged the matter to Defra. The court also heard that Chowdhury had been signed off work in some positions over a condition described as mixed anxiety and a depressive disorder, but did not submit the relevant sick note to every employer. The trial is continuing.