New Zealand Green Party Member of Parliament Voluntarily Steps Down from Role Amid Allegations of Shoplifting
The incident involving Green Party Justice Spokesperson 43-year-old MP Golriz Ghahraman happened two days before Christmas. She is accused of shoplifting from an upscale clothing store in central Auckland. Ghahraman has been suspended from her portfolio responsibilities until the matter is resolved, as the Green Party expects high standards of public behavior from its MPs. The police have received a report about the incident and are conducting initial inquiries. It is believed that the store in question is Scottie’s Boutique in Ponsonby, but information about what was stolen is not available. Ghahraman came to New Zealand as a child refugee from Iran and studied law at the University of Auckland and International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. She now focuses on justice reform and refugee rights. She was elected as a Green Party list candidate in the 2017 general election and has been outspoken in the past, commenting on various issues, including the Israel-Hamas conflict.
