Civil servant 'who fraudulently earned £280,000 by working FIVE government jobs at same time' attended virtual meetings for months with his camera off, court hears

Published: 10:53 EDT, 14 October 2026 | Updated: 10:55 EDT, 14 October 2026 A civil servant accused of receiving £284,613 for five different full-time government jobs attended remote meetings with his camera off, a court heard.Kashim Chowdhury, 55, lied repeatedly to get jobs from employers including the Food Standards Agency, the Home Office and the Department for Business and Trade, Southwark Crown Court has heard.Between February 2020 and September 2023 he held a total of eight different jobs raking in a total of £349,378, jurors heard, before the alleged fraud was discovered.When bosses became suspicious he claimed he was sick and at one point appeared in an online meeting with white make-up smeared over his face, jurors were told.At the peak of his employment Chowdhury allegedly held five full-time jobs and was contracted to work 183 hours a week.Lucy Organ, prosecuting, said: '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.'Dan McCartney, who was Chowdhury's line manager at Defra, said that he felt that Chowdhury should have a performance management review.Mr McCartney said: 'He was pretty close to needing them.' Kashim Chowdhury, 55, is accused of lying when getting jobs from employers including government departments - he is pictured outside Southwark Crown Court in April 2025 Civil servant Kashim Chowdhury, 55, arrives at court for his fraud trial in SouthwarkWhen asked by Ms Organ, 'Did his work ever improve?' Mr McCartney said: 'No.'He told the court that he needed to monitor Chowdhury's work 'much more than I would expect to do for someone of his grade'.Mr McCartney added: 'I had to tell him what to do. I would have expected him to be self-sufficient.'The witness said he did not agree with a decision to make Chowdhury a permanent member of staff.Mr McCartney said: 'It is policy to make people with fixed term contracts permanent if they weren't in performance measures.'I wasn't in agreement with it but I was told that it was something that would have to happen.'He said that Chowdhury would attend virtual meetings with his computer camera off and that he told him to get it fixed.'It is important, I think, if you are running a team, that people are present and have their camera on. Chowdhury is accused of fraudulently taking on multiple government jobs at the same time - he is pictured here outside Southwark Crown Court on Monday, October 12 2026'I asked him to switch it on. He said he had IT problems with his laptop and I asked him to resolve it so that the camera worked.'It took quite a long time. I had to really push him. I told him that he could take time out to ensure that this thing is resolved.'That took quite a few months to make it happen, but it did happen.'Ms Organ asked, 'Did he ever tell you he had any other employment other than with Defra?' and Mr McCartney replied: 'No.'At his £52,000 a year job at Defra, Chowdhury was described as 'ineffective' but told his employers he was struggling because his mother was diagnosed with cancer.Chowdhury, of Whitechapel in east London, denies nine counts of fraud. The trial continues.READ MORE: Civil servant used remote working to fraudulently hold down FIVE government jobs at the same time, court told