Cardiff college theft: Former director pleads guilty to £5m theft 2026

Key Points

• Cardiff Sixth Form College’s former director and trustee, Nadeem Sarwar, has pleaded guilty to theft amounting to £5 million or more.
• The theft is believed to have occurred between 19 February 2008 and 31 October 2016.
• Ragu Sivapalan, former auditor associated with the college, pleaded guilty to producing misleading, false or deceptive statement in an auditor’s report.
• Sarwar and Sivapalan appeared before the court and will be sentenced on another date.
• Judge Celia Hughes told Sarwar that there was “substantial possibility” that he would get jail time.
• Sarwar was bailed conditionally while Sivapalan was released unconditionally.
• Yasmin Sarwar still faces nine charges of theft, fraud and criminal property offences.
• The investigation was carried out by the South Wales Police based on the evidence from the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
• According to media reports, Cardiff Sixth Form College charged over £30,000 per year for day students and over £70,000 for boarding students.

Cardiff Crime (Wales Times) September 30, 2026 — former director and trustee Nadeem Sarwar has pleaded guilty to stealing at least £5 million from the independent Welsh college, while a second defendant has admitted a charge relating to the alleged manipulation of company accounts.

As reported by BBC News, Sarwar, 50, from Pentwyn, uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff, admitted stealing not less than £5 million during a period running from 19 February 2008 to 31 October 2016. He entered his guilty plea at Merthyr Crown Court.

The admission marks a significant development in a case involving alleged financial irregularities at Cardiff Sixth Form College. The prosecution has also brought charges against Yasmin Sarwar, who is facing a separate trial, while Ragu Sivapalan has admitted a false-accounting-related offence.

According to WalesOnline, Sarwar pleaded guilty to theft involving money belonging to the college. The report said the alleged offending occurred over a period that included February 2008 to October 31, 2016.

The exact circumstances surrounding the movement of the funds and the prosecution’s detailed case against each defendant will be considered through the sentencing and trial processes. The guilty plea entered by Sarwar relates to the theft charge; it does not determine the unresolved allegations faced by the other defendant.

What did Ragu Sivapalan admit?

Ragu Sivapalan, 41, from Penylan, Cardiff, admitted presenting an auditor’s report containing misleading, false or deceptive information about a company’s annual financial statements.

BBC News reported that Sivapalan entered the admission at Merthyr Crown Court. WalesOnline similarly reported that he accepted a charge relating to financial misrepresentation and the presentation of misleading information in an auditor’s report.

The allegation concerns the accuracy of information supplied in corporate financial reporting. An auditor’s report is intended to provide an assessment of a company’s financial statements, meaning that any allegation involving misleading or deceptive information can become an important part of a wider financial-crime prosecution.

Sivapalan’s admission is distinct from Sarwar’s guilty plea to theft. The two men face separate allegations and will be dealt with individually by the court. Both are due to be sentenced at a later date.bbc+1

What did the judge say about a possible prison sentence?

Judge Celia Hughes told Sarwar that there was a “substantial chance” he would go to prison. The judge nevertheless granted him conditional bail until sentencing.

The warning does not amount to a final sentence. Sarwar will remain subject to the court’s bail conditions unless those conditions are changed, and the eventual punishment will be decided at a later hearing after the court has considered the relevant evidence, submissions and sentencing principles.

Sivapalan was granted unconditional bail, according to reports. The difference between the bail decisions reflects the separate charges and circumstances applying to each defendant, although the court’s reasons beyond those reported have not been set out in the available coverage.

Neither defendant has yet received a final sentence. The court is expected to determine the consequences of the admissions at a later date.

What charges does Yasmin Sarwar face?

Yasmin Sarwar, who was also a director and trustee connected with the college, continues to face nine theft and fraud charges involving more than £5 million.

BBC News reported that she is due to stand trial in the coming days. WalesOnline said she faces allegations including fraud by abuse of position, two counts of employee theft and offences connected with carrying on business with the intention of defrauding creditors or for other fraudulent purposes.

She is also accused of offences relating to possessing, concealing or dealing with criminal property. Those are allegations only, and the available reports do not indicate that she has entered a guilty plea to them.

The legal position of Yasmin Sarwar is therefore different from that of Nadeem Sarwar, who has admitted the theft charge, and Sivapalan, who has admitted the false-accounting-related charge. Her case remains subject to trial, where the prosecution will have to prove the allegations to the criminal standard.

Earlier coverage identified Yasmin Anjum Sarwar as being from Cyncoed, Cardiff. South Wales Police said in March 2025 that she and Nadeem Sarwar had been charged with multiple theft and fraud offences totalling approximately £5 million.south-wales.police+1

How did the investigation begin?

South Wales Police said the case followed an investigation into alleged multi-million-pound fraud and theft connected with the former independent Cardiff Sixth Form College.

In a statement issued in March 2025, the force said the alleged offences occurred between 2012 and 2016. It identified Yasmin Anjum Sarwar and Nadeem Sarwar as facing multiple theft and fraud offences totalling about £5 million.

The police statement said Sivapalan had been charged with false accounting relating to the period between 2013 and 2016. It also said that the investigation received important evidence from the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

The three defendants were scheduled to appear before Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on April 8, 2025. Subsequent court reporting showed that the defendants initially denied the charges before the case progressed towards trial.

BBC coverage from April 2025 reported that Nadeem Sarwar faced nine charges of fraud and theft involving more than £5 million. Yasmin Sarwar also pleaded not guilty to the charges against her at that stage, while Sivapalan denied the false-accounting allegation.

The case was later sent to Cardiff Crown Court. In May 2025, BBC News reported that a trial had been scheduled to begin on September 1, 2026. The proceedings have since developed with the guilty pleas entered by Sarwar and Sivapalan.

What is known about the college’s fees?

Cardiff Sixth Form College is an independent sixth-form institution offering A-level education. Reports by BBC News and WalesOnline said annual fees exceeded £30,000 for day students.

Boarding fees were reported as more than £70,000 a year. WalesOnline reported a figure exceeding £75,000 for boarders, while the BBC described boarding fees as more than £70,000.

The differences in the figures may reflect different fee years, course arrangements or reporting descriptions. The available reports do not provide a full fee schedule for every academic year covered by the allegations.

The level of fees is relevant to the public interest in the case because the alleged theft involved money belonging to an educational institution. However, the existence of high fees does not by itself establish how any particular payment was handled or whether a specific transaction was unlawful.

The court proceedings will determine the criminal liability of the defendants on the charges before it.bbc+1

What happened before the guilty pleas?

The case initially involved three defendants and allegations of financial wrongdoing connected with the college.

South Wales Police said in 2025 that the alleged offences involved two directors and trustees, Nadeem and Yasmin Sarwar, and a third person, Ragu Sivapalan. The police described the case as involving theft and fraud totalling approximately £5 million, with a separate false-accounting allegation against Sivapalan.

At an early hearing, the defendants denied the allegations. BBC News and The Independent reported that Nadeem and Yasmin Sarwar pleaded not guilty to multiple fraud and theft charges, while Sivapalan denied the false-accounting charge.

The court proceedings then moved towards a Crown Court trial. The subsequent admissions by Sarwar and Sivapalan have narrowed the issues requiring determination, but Yasmin Sarwar’s case remains unresolved.

The earlier not-guilty pleas and the later admissions form part of the procedural history of the case. They should not be treated as evidence that the remaining allegations against Yasmin Sarwar have been established.

What happens next in court?

Nadeem Sarwar and Ragu Sivapalan will be sentenced at a later date. The judge’s warning to Sarwar indicates that imprisonment is a possible outcome, but no final sentence has been imposed.

Yasmin Sarwar is expected to face trial on the charges against her. The prosecution must present its evidence, and the defence will have the opportunity to challenge it. The court will then decide whether the charges have been proved.

Further hearings may address the timetable, evidence, bail arrangements and sentencing. The final outcome will depend on decisions made by the court rather than on the defendants’ previous roles at the college or the financial value cited in media reports.

The case also illustrates the difference between a guilty plea, an allegation and a conviction after trial. Sarwar and Sivapalan have admitted specific charges, while the charges against Yasmin Sarwar remain allegations until determined by the court.

Background: How did the Cardiff college investigation develop?

The investigation relates to alleged financial misconduct connected with Cardiff Sixth Form College during the period when the defendants were associated with the institution.

South Wales Police said the investigation was supported by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The force announced in March 2025 that three people had been charged after inquiries into alleged fraud and theft involving the former independent college.

The charges initially covered alleged conduct between 2012 and 2016, although the theft charge to which Nadeem Sarwar pleaded guilty was reported by the BBC as covering a longer period, from February 2008 to October 2016.

The case passed through Cardiff Magistrates’ Court before being sent to the Crown Court. The defendants were granted bail during the earlier proceedings. In April 2025, reports said Nadeem and Yasmin Sarwar denied multiple charges, while Sivapalan denied the allegation relating to false accounting.

The college has been described in court reporting as a high-fee institution for sixth-form pupils. The reports have not established that the college’s fee levels themselves were connected to the alleged offences; they provide context about the organisation at the centre of the case.

The current position is that Sarwar has admitted the theft charge, Sivapalan has admitted the charge relating to misleading accounting information, and Yasmin Sarwar continues to contest the allegations against her.

Prediction: What could the case mean for students and families?

For current and prospective students and their families, the immediate effect is likely to be increased scrutiny of the college’s financial governance, ownership arrangements and oversight procedures.

The guilty plea by a former director and trustee may lead families to seek clearer information about how tuition and boarding fees are managed, although the court proceedings do not establish that current students’ education or payments are at risk. Any practical effect will depend on the college’s present ownership, management and financial controls, which are not fully detailed in the reports used for this article.

The case may also encourage parents comparing independent sixth-form colleges to examine published accounts, safeguarding arrangements, complaints procedures and governance structures. Those checks are sensible for families considering any high-fee educational provider, but the criminal allegations in this case should not be used to make unsupported claims about current staff, pupils or the college’s present operations.

The most consequential developments for the defendants will be the sentencing hearings for Sarwar and Sivapalan and the outcome of Yasmin Sarwar’s trial. Until those proceedings are concluded, the wider financial and institutional consequences remain uncertain.