A UK civil servant accused of earning £349,378 across eight government jobs allegedly attended virtual meetings with his camera switched off, citing technical problems, a court has heard. According to a report by Personnel Today, Kashim Chowdhury, 55, is accused of lying to secure positions across several government departments and public bodies, including the Food Standards Agency, the Home Office and the Department for Business and Trade. He denies nine counts of fraud.Prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court that Chowdhury held eight different jobs between February 2020 and September 2023, earning £349,378 before the alleged fraud was discovered.At the peak of his employment, he allegedly held five full-time positions simultaneously and was contracted to work 183 hours a week.Prosecutor Lucy Organ told the court, “That is more hours than there are in a week if he didn’t sleep at all, and worked night and day every day of the week.”When his employers reportedly began to grow suspicious, Chowdhury allegedly claimed he was unwell. On one occasion, he is said to have appeared in an online meeting with white make-up smeared across his face, jurors were told.
Manager describes Chowdhury’s work as ineffective
The court also heard testimony from Dan McCartney, Chowdhury’s former line manager at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), where he was employed on an annual salary of £52,000.McCartney told the court that he believed Chowdhury was close to requiring a formal performance management review.“He was pretty close to needing them,” he said.Asked by Organ whether Chowdhury’s work had ever improved, McCartney replied, “No.”The manager said he had to monitor Chowdhury’s work “much more than I would expect to do for someone of his grade”.“I had to tell him what to do. I would have expected him to be self-sufficient,” he added.McCartney also told the court that he had disagreed with the decision to make Chowdhury a permanent employee. He explained that, under the department’s policy, employees on fixed-term contracts could be made permanent if they were not subject to performance management measures.“I wasn’t in agreement with it but I was told that it was something that would have to happen,” he said.
Court hears about camera-off meetings and alleged IT problems
McCartney said Chowdhury regularly attended virtual meetings with his camera switched off. He told the court that he had asked him to resolve the issue, as he considered it important for team members to have their cameras on during meetings.“He said he had IT problems with his laptop and I asked him to resolve it so that the camera worked,” McCartney said.He added that it took several months of repeated requests before the issue was resolved.Organ also asked McCartney whether Chowdhury had ever disclosed that he was working elsewhere while employed at Defra.“No,” the former manager replied.
Chowdhury denies nine counts of fraud
The court heard that Chowdhury, who lives in Whitechapel, east London, had told his employers that he was struggling with his work because his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.Chowdhury denies nine counts of fraud. The trial is continuing.
