'Tiger mum' and husband 'stole' over £5million in school fees 'after couple set up top college then treated it as their own piggy bank', court told

Published: 08:51 EDT, 6 October 2026 | Updated: 09:24 EDT, 6 October 2026 A married couple milked more than £5million from parents' school fees by treating Britain's top A-level sixth form college as their own 'piggy bank', a court heard today. Self-styled 'Tiger Mum' Yasmin Sarwar, 48, and husband Nadeem, 50, set up a private sixth-form school as a charity before allegedly raiding accounts to fund their 'lavish lifestyle'. A court heard Nadeem Sarwar has admitted stealing £5million from Cardiff Sixth Form College between February 2008 and October 2016. But fellow director Yasmin Sarwar denies nine theft and fraud charges between 2008 and 2016 totalling more than £5million. Ms Sarwar began tutoring A-level students before she set up 'top-performing' Cardiff Sixth Form College, gaining 'international recognition', prosecutor Mark Cotter KC told a jury.The couple registered the college as a charity before allegedly stealing millions of pounds to buy properties and live a 'lavish lifestyle'. 'Yasmin Sarwar and her husband were paid handsomely for their roles in Cardiff Sixth Form College,' Mr Cotter said. 'The defendant and her then husband treated the college as their own personal piggy bank. Yasmin Sarwar, 48, is on trial accused of stealing more than £5million from Cardiff Sixth Form College, which she set up with her husband Nadeem, in order to fund their 'lavish lifestyle' Nadeem Sarwar, 50, pictured outside court, has admitted stealing £5million from Cardiff Sixth Form College between February 2008 and October 2016.'They raided the funds to fund their own lavish lifestyles.' Mr Cotter said the couple's assault on the school accounts was 'so relentless and widespread' that it left their accountant unable to produce proper audited accounts. The couple then hired Ragu Sivapalan, 41, as a 'new, less rigorous accountant' who took what they said at 'face value' to report false information, Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard.Mr Cotter said the college first welcomed fee-paying international students in 2009 and began successfully marketing internationally. He said: 'It became one of the top performing sixth form colleges in the country with international recognition.' The court heard the couple, both originally from Malaysia, also recruited family members to sit as trustees on the school board. Mr Cotter said: 'Yasmin Sarwar was a wilful, intelligent and manipulative woman who was a willing participant in the fraudulent activity taking place in the college.' She even set up 'sham companies' in a bid to 'divert huge sums of money away from her husband after their relationship went sour, and to overseas,' he added.'Yasmin Sarwar was taking money that did not belong to her from the charity and then tried to cover it up.' Accountant Sivapalan, of Penylan, Cardiff, has pleaded guilty to causing an auditor's report on a company's annual accounts to include misleading, false or deceptive information between January 2013 and July 2016. Nadeem Sarwar has admitted stealing £5million from Cardiff Sixth Form College between February 19, 2008 and October 31, 2016. Yasmin Sarwar, of Cyncoed, Cardiff, denies nine theft and fraud charges between 2008 and 2016 totalling more than £5million. The college had more than 300 students on its register and attracted teenagers from all around the world, including Albania and China. The trial, due to last ten weeks, continues.