Civil servant 'wore make-up to fake illness and juggle five jobs from home'

Kashim Chowdhury, a retired civil servant from east London, stands accused of a £350,000 fraud scheme involving five simultaneous government positions between 2020 and 2023. The Southwark Crown Court is hearing that Chowdhury falsely represented his employment status on job applications, resulting in nine fraud charges against him.

It was alleged that he faked illness by applying white makeup during a video call with his manager at the UK Health Security Agency, which started peeling off his skin during the meeting. Chowdhury, who claimed to be unable to work due to his mother's illness, was also suffering from mixed anxiety and depression. The fraud was uncovered by the National Fraud Initiative, which alerted the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Prosecutors argue that Chowdhury exploited the work-from-home culture that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.