Fiona Bakulich has been named as the former undertaker accused of putting dead bodies in rubbish bags instead of the caskets their families purchased. Video / Michael Craig
Francis Tipene says he has no knowledge of others being involved, with police investigations ongoing and further arrests possible.
More people could be implicated in the Tipene Funerals scandal, with police saying they cannot rule out further arrests in connection with a former employee who allegedly scammed her grieving clients and mishandled their dead relatives.
Police have also told the Herald they have laid more charges against the womanat the centre of the saga, Fiona Bakulich, who appeared on Tipene Funerals' reality television show The Casketeers.
Bakulich has been accused of stuffing bodies into plastic rubbish bags instead of the coffins their bereaved families paid for and making them pay for Covid-19 tests for those bodies, despite industry experts telling the Herald there was no such thing.
Some affected families found out about Bakulich’s alleged offending when Cyclone Gabrielle damaged the mausoleum in which bodies were interred at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland. Repairs forced the council to disinter the bodies, revealing a shocking and confronting sight for the families present.
Bakulich, who is currently before the courts and pleaded not guilty to previous charges last November, now faces two charges of interfering with a grave or human remains, three charges of obtaining by deception sums over $1000 and nine charges of obtaining by deception sums between $500 and $1000.
Police said their investigation was ongoing and they could not rule out further charges.
Fiona Bakulich, a former Tipene Funerals undertaker based in Auckland, appears in the Auckland District Court. Photo / Michael Craig
Bakulich will appear again in the Auckland District Court on February 28.
Tipene Funerals company director and reality television star Francis Tipene, who families believe is accountable for his employee’s alleged actions, told the Herald he had “no idea” of anyone else being involved.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it, from[the Herald]," Tipene said when approached for comment on the new development.
“I’ll wait for them [police] to approach me and then we’ll go from there,” he said.
He declined to comment further.
Fiona Bakulich (inset top) was employed by Francis Tipene (inset bottom) at Tipene Funerals, and it has been revealed Bakulich allegedly swindled her clients by improperly interring their dead relatives in the public mausoleum at Waikumete Cemetery. Photos / Michael Craig, Dean Purcell
A new season of The Casketeers is due to hit television and streaming services this year. Dubbed The Casketeers: Life and Death Around the Globe, it isbilled as featuring them learning about grief in different cultures.
Many of the affected families were prominent Auckland Samoans and said they had solicited Bakulich’s services specifically because she was Samoan and they expected to be treated with the utmost cultural competency.
Fiona Bakulich allegedly swindled her clients by improperly interring their dead relatives in the public mausoleum at Waikumete Cemetery. Photos / Michael Craig, Facebook
Speaking about the police investigation when the Herald first revealed the scandal in August, Tipene said:“Tipene Funerals’ first and foremost concern has always been with the families affected by the actions of this former employee.”
Tipene said: “Tipene Funerals prides itself on its professionalism and integrity, and our families need to have the utmost trust and confidence in our ability to ensure their loved ones are treated with dignity and respect.
Tipene also said at the time, “Tipene Funerals has handed all information known to us to the police.”
Police began investigating concerns about bodies at Waikumete Cemetery in August, after an exclusive investigation by the Herald in which several families anonymously revealed the accusations against Bakulich.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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