Kashim Chowdhury is on trial at Southwark Crown Court over allegations that he held five full-time government jobs at once and earned almost £350,000. The 55-year-old from east London denies nine counts of fraud. Jurors heard that one of the most unusual allegations in the case involved white make-up used on a video call to make him look ill.
Southwark Crown Court trial
Lucy Organ told the court that Chowdhury allegedly secured the jobs by making false representations about his employment status while applying. She said he is accused of overlapping roles with Tower Hamlets Council, the Home Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the UK Health Security Agency and the Department of Health and Social Care.
The Crown Court heard that the alleged pattern ran from February 2020 to September 2023. Prosecutors say that over three years he held overlapping positions across the public sector while being paid for five full-time posts at the same time.
Aleesha Adams video call
In 2023, Aleesha Adams, who managed him at the UK Health Security Agency, organised a video call to discuss his sick leave. Ms Adams said Chowdhury had make-up on his face to appear ill, and that it began separating on his forehead during the call, showing his real skin underneath.
Organ told the court: “There could be no doubt about it, the defendant had applied make-up to his face for this Teams meeting to try and pretend to his line manager that he was unwell.” She added: “This almost laughable incident demonstrates, we say, quite how far the defendant was willing to go in his deceit.”
National Fraud Initiative alert
Jurors were told the alleged fraud came to light after the National Fraud Initiative alerted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The prosecutor said Chowdhury told employers he needed to work from home to care for his unwell mother, and the court also heard that he was signed off work from some jobs due to mixed anxiety and a depressive disorder.
He did not hand his sick note to all of his employers. Chowdhury denies acting dishonestly or intending to make a dishonest gain, but the trial now turns on whether the jury accepts the prosecution’s account of how the five roles, the sick notes and the video call fit together.
