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A 55-year-old Bangladeshi man has been accused of fraudulently holding five full-time government jobs simultaneously in the United Kingdom and earning around £350,000 over three years.
Kashim Chowdhury, a resident of Whitechapel in east London, allegedly worked for eight different organisations between February 2020 and September 2023. He was reportedly holding five full-time positions simultaneously in May 2023.
Prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court that Chowdhury concealed his existing employment when taking up new jobs.
His employers included Tower Hamlets Council, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office, the Food Standards Agency and the UK Health Security Agency.
To manage his multiple jobs, he allegedly took sick leave from different organisations and claimed to be suffering from anxiety and depression.
He also reportedly cited the need to care for his sick mother to obtain permission to work from home.
The case came to light in May 2023 when UK Health Security Agency manager Alisha Adams arranged a video call to discuss his absence from work.
According to testimony presented in court, Chowdhury applied white makeup to his face to appear ill during the call.
However, the makeup reportedly came off his forehead, exposing his natural skin and revealing a difference in colour between his face and neck.
Prosecutors also said he accidentally joined the meeting using an email account associated with another employer, further exposing his multiple jobs.
The five positions reportedly carried a combined contractual workload of 183 hours a week, exceeding the 168 hours available in seven days.
Chowdhury has denied all nine fraud charges. His trial is ongoing.
