New Zealand Green Party parliamentarian resigns over shoplifting allegations

WELLINGTON — A New Zealand Green Party parliamentarian resigned on Monday (Jan 15) after it was alleged by media she had shoplifted at high end local boutiques on at least three occasions.

Without specifically addressing the accusations, the member of parliament, Golriz Ghahraman, said in a statement that mental health issues and work stress had led to her acting in a way that was completely out of character.

"People should, rightly, expect the highest standards of behaviour from their elected representatives. I fell short. I'm sorry. It's not a behaviour I can explain because it's not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I'm not well," her statement said.

Local media have reported that Iranian-born Ghahraman, who has been in parliament since 2017 and was the first refugee to become a member of parliament, is accused of shoplifting at Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby, Auckland, and at Cre8iveworkz in Wellington.

New Zealand Police said in a statement they were investigating an incident at a Ponsonby store in December but would not give any other details. They did not confirm the incident involved Ghahraman.

Ghahraman said that she thanked Scotties Boutique for their kindness and empathy.

Green Party co-leader James Shaw said that while parliament was a stressful place for everybody, Ghahraman had a particularly difficult time as she had received numerous threats from members of the public since arriving in office.

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