Leicester mother ‘had no idea her husband stole £1.5million from National Lottery and Yopa

A mother claims she had ‘no idea’ her husband stole £1.5million from the National Lottery and an online estate agent, despite him transferring most of it into two of her bank accounts, a court heard yesterday.

Sofina Sarwar, 34, denies knowing anything about the ‘colossal amounts’ Haroon Cassim, 36, took from Camelot, which runs the Lottery, and Yopa Property while he worked for both firms between 2010 and 2018. 

He used bogus invoices from fake businesses to transfer a total of £1.25million into two of her accounts, the jury was told.  

Cassim has already pleaded guilty to the fraud, which saw him raking in more than £300,000 a year for six years, and awaits sentencing.

His wife is on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of three counts of money laundering between 2011 and 2018. She denies the charges.   

Sofina Sarwar, 34,(pictured outside Leicester Crown Court yesterday) denies knowing anything about the ‘colossal amounts’ Haroon Cassim, 36, took from Camelot, which runs the Lottery, and Yopa Property while he worked for both firms between 2010 and 2018

Andrew Peet, prosecuting, told the jury: ‘Haroon Cassim was employed over a number of years by two high profile employers, Camelot, which runs the National Lottery and Yopa online estate agents.

‘He took just short of £1.5million from them. His annual salary was an average of £45,000 and it would have taken him about 30 years to earn the money stolen on top of his legitimate income.

‘This amount was obtained during about a five or six year time period. The Crown don’t say this defendant, Sarwar, was a party to any of the fraud or stealing.

‘We say she was necessary for Cassim’s scheme because about £1.25million was transferred directly from the employers of her husband – the fraudster – to her bank accounts.

‘He had many accounts in his own name and they weren’t used. The Crown says she’s a money launderer.’

The prosecutor alleged Sarwar allowed both accounts in her name to be used to ‘dissipate’ stolen money.

He continued: ‘You might think she’d have to know that he was a fraudster and that he’d nicked all the money and that her account was being filled with criminal property. All the prosecution has to prove is that she suspected it was stolen.’

Mr Peet said: ‘It would have taken Cassim a generation to have earned the money, it was colossal; eye-watering amounts.’

He alleged that of the £960,000 Cassim stole from Camelot, £748,000 was transferred directly into accounts registered solely in Sarwar’s name.

He said around £10,000 was transferred in respect of ‘wages’ she allegedly earned as an employee of Camelot, but claims this was false as she never worked for them.  

Pictured: Haroon Cassim, 36, outside Leicester Crown Court with his wife Sofina Sarwar

Pictured: Haroon Cassim, 36, outside Leicester Crown Court with his wife Sofina Sarwar

The prosecutor also alleged that the entirety of £505,000 taken from Yopa Property was transferred into Sarwar’s personal accounts.

Mr Peet said: ‘These were bank accounts in her name, not his. Half a million quid (relating to Yopa) in less than two years. It’s more than eyebrow-raising.’ 

He told the jury: ‘Once the money was received into her bank account it didn’t stay there very long, it was transferred between her bank accounts, back and forth.’

Money was also transferred into betting accounts under Cassim’s name and he was a described as a ‘problem gambler’. 

The money was allegedly spent on ‘family lifestyle’ – for petrol, household bills and shopping at stores such as Boots, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Mothercare and Next.  

Cassim used the names of three businesses to submit bogus invoices, for work or services not provided, to dupe his then employers, the court was told. 

One of the alleged ruse businesses was registered at Companies House, with Sarwar listed as the sole director.

Mr Peet said: ‘Sarwar’s case is she had no idea any of this was going on. Further, she did not even suspect anything like this was going on and at no time was she a party to any arrangement to launder, spend or transfer any money taken by her husband.’

He said that about the time of the couple’s arrest, in the summer of 2018, Sarwar and Cassim were planning to purchase a house in Leicester, using £200,000 of Cassim’s dishonestly obtained money from Sarwar’s account as a deposit.

In an interview, Sarwar said she was aware her husband was putting money into her savings account but added: ‘I don’t use it, he’s the only one.’

Talking about her current account, she said Cassim had access to the online code and she was not aware of transactions he may have made.

She told the court that her husband provided for her and her children.

She accepted being an ‘active participant’ relating to the proposed house purchase, but denied knowing where the money came from. 

Mr Peet claimed Sarwar falsely claimed to be ‘self-employed’ on a form relating to the purchase.

She accepted, however, being the sole director of a firm set up by her husband, but said she believed it was to legitimately recruit people to work for Yopa.

Mr Peet said: ‘She said she knew of and had trouble with her husband’s gambling problem and they’d previously had heated arguments over that difficulty.’

Yopa discovered Cassim’s scam in their accounts, which led to an investigation into previous dishonesty involving his former employer, Camelot.

Mr Peet said: ‘Cassim wasn’t on the board or a CEO or in a particularly high corporate position with these companies.

‘He did have a good job earning between £45,000 and £50,000 a year. But there’s a world of difference between the figures we’re seeing here (on bank statements).

‘It was equal to paying himself 300 grand a year for five years.’

Some of the fraud-related invoices presented to Yopa purported to be refurbishment costs for the firm’s offices in Hinckley and Watford – that were allegedly paid directly into Sawar’s personal accounts.

Mr Peet said: ‘Over £50,000 a month, using fake invoices, was taken from Yopa and every single penny made its’ way into Sarwar’s bank account.’

He added: ‘Quite a lot of the money went on Cassim’s gambling.’

Cassim was arrested at the family’s rented home in Leicester in August 2018 and Sarwar was quizzed about her alleged involvement.

Mr Peet said there was no evidence found on their mobile phones suggesting they had messaged one another about the movement of money – but he said that would not have been necessary as they lived together.

In June last year, Cassim pleaded guilty to five counts of fraud by abuse of position. 

Cassim further admitted two counts of converting criminal property regarding money in his wife’s accounts, relating to Camelot, between August 2010 and December 2013, and Yopa, between October 2017 and August 2018. 

Sarwar’s trial continues 

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