Civil servant admits he 'made mistakes' juggling five government jobs

Kashim Chowdhury, a 55-year-old civil servant from east London, has admitted to making mistakes while juggling five government jobs, but he maintains that there was no criminal intent behind his actions. Chowdhury, who is on trial for nine counts of fraud, testified at Southwark Crown Court that he was overwhelmed and stressed, leading to feelings of terror and panic.

He claimed to have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2015, with the disorder being triggered in 2021. The prosecution alleges that Chowdhury managed to keep his overlapping jobs secret by working entirely remotely, exploiting his role as the sole carer for his elderly mother. His line managers at various public sector organizations testified that he performed poorly in his roles, often submitting work late or not to the expected standard.

Brief written by urgent.news from BBC Business's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.