Couple Accused of Stealing Millions from Elite Sixth Form College

A married couple allegedly siphoned over £5 million from parents' school fees by treating Britain's top A-level sixth form college as their own "piggy bank," a court has heard. Yasmin Sarwar, 48, and her husband Nadeem, 50, established a private sixth-form school as a charity before purportedly raiding its accounts to finance a "lavish lifestyle."

Nadeem Sarwar has admitted to stealing £5 million from Cardiff Sixth Form College between February 2008 and October 2016. However, his wife, Yasmin Sarwar, who was a fellow director, denies nine theft and fraud charges totaling more than £5 million, also spanning the period between 2008 and 2016.

Prosecutor Mark Cotter KC told the jury that Yasmin Sarwar began tutoring A-Level students before co-founding Cardiff Sixth Form College, which gained "international recognition" and became known as a "top-performing" institution. The couple then registered the college as a charity.

"Yasmin Sarwar and her husband were paid handsomely for their roles in Cardiff Sixth Form College," Mr. Cotter stated. "The defendant and her then husband treated the college as their own personal piggy bank. They raided the funds to fund their own lavish lifestyles."

Mr. Cotter described the alleged misappropriation of funds as "so relentless and widespread" that it prevented the couple's accountant from producing proper audited accounts. The court heard that the college began admitting fee-paying international students in 2009 and subsequently achieved significant international recognition.

The court was informed that the couple, both originally from Malaysia, also appointed family members to serve as trustees on the school's board. Mr. Cotter characterized Yasmin Sarwar as "a wilful, intelligent and manipulative woman who was a willing participant in the fraudulent activity." He further alleged that she established "sham companies" in an attempt to divert substantial sums of money away from her husband after their relationship deteriorated, and to overseas destinations.

Accountant Ragu Sivapalan, 41, has pleaded guilty to causing an auditor's report on the company's annual accounts to include misleading, false, or deceptive information between January 2013 and July 2016. He was described as a "new, less rigorous accountant" who took the couple's statements at face value.

Cardiff Sixth Form College reportedly had over 300 students, attracting teenagers from various countries, including Albania and China. The trial is expected to last ten weeks.