Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Another former funeral director charged with the mishandling of burials at an Auckland cemetary has pleaded not guilty in Auckland District Court .
The 53-year-old was granted interim name suppression in court on Thursday.
Court documents reveal the man is charged with obtaining about $18,000 by deception in alleged offences going back to 2015.
Last month, Fiona Bakulich, a former employee of Tipene Funerals, pleaded guilty to interfering with human remains and 12 counts of obtaining by deception. She will be sentenced next month.
The man appeared before Judge Belinda Pidwell.
His lawyer, Panama Le'au'anae, entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.
He elected to have a trial by jury and was expected to reappear in June. The man was granted bail.
Court documents outlined two occasions of alleged offending.
In November 2015, the documents claimed the man obtained about $9000 by offering services as a funeral director, the duties of which he did not fulfil.
In January 2022, the documents said, the man obtained $9,370.36 for duties he did not fully fulfil.
About the same time, the man was charged with neglecting to seal and metal line a casket for burial.
The maximum sentence for obtaining more than $1000 by deception is seven years imprisonment, while the burial related charge carries a maximum two year prison sentence.
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