00:00A Malaysian-born woman who co-founded Cardiff's Sixth Form College in Wales
00:04has claimed trial to charges of stealing and defrauding the institution of millions of pounds.
00:10Yasmin Sarwar, 45, a former director and trustee of the college,
00:14pleaded not guilty at Merthyr Crown Court to nine charges of theft and fraud.
00:19Her former husband, Nadim Sarwar, also originally from Malaysia and a co-founder of the college,
00:25had earlier pleaded guilty to stealing at least £5 million from the institution.
00:30The BBC reported prosecutor Mark Cotter Casey as alleging that Yasmin took money belonging to the college
00:36and later tried to cover it up, including through sham companies.
00:41Cotter told the court the pair had treated the charitable college as their personal piggy bank
00:46to fund lavish lifestyles as the institution grew and generated significant profits.
00:51Concerns over the college's finances emerged after delays in submitting audited accounts
00:57before staff later reported suspected irregularities involving expenses and large payments.
01:04The Charity Commission subsequently inspected the college and identified concerns
01:08over the apparent mismanagement of charitable funds,
01:12leading to a statutory inquiry and the appointment of an interim manager.
01:17Nadim pleaded guilty on September 29th to stealing at least £5 million between 2008 and 2016.
01:24Ragu Sibapalin, who worked at the college's accounting firm,
01:28also pleaded guilty to causing an auditor's report to contain misleading, false or deceptive information.
01:35Nadim and Ragu remain on bail pending sentencing while Yasmin's trial continues.
01:41I'm Radeep Gil, FMT.
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