UK civil servant on trial for alleged £350,000 remote work fraud

Kashim Chowdhury, a 55-year-old civil servant, is currently on trial at Southwark Crown Court in London facing nine counts of fraud. Prosecutors allege that Chowdhury exploited remote working arrangements to hold multiple full-time government positions simultaneously between February 2020 and September 2023.

According to the prosecution, Chowdhury secured approximately £350,000 from eight different employers during this period. At one point, his contracted hours reportedly amounted to seven and a half days per week. The alleged fraud was brought to light following an alert from the National Fraud Initiative to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Chowdhury denies all charges.