Ex-lawmaker pleads guilty to shoplifting
Former New Zealand lawmaker Golriz Ghahraman pleaded guilty to shoplifting on Wednesday, an event that has brought her successful career to a halt.
Ghahraman, who made history as the first refugee elected to New Zealand’s parliament, made the decision to step away from her political responsibilities on January 16 to focus on her mental well-being.
Following her departure from politics, Ghahraman faced legal charges for allegedly shoplifting from high-end clothing stores.
The 43-year-old, known for her work as the Green Party’s justice spokeswoman, confessed to four counts of shoplifting during a court appearance in Auckland.
A former human rights lawyer, Ghahraman said at the time of her resignation that work-related stress had led her to “act in ways that are completely out of character.
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“I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them. I have let down a lot of people,” she said at the time.
Iran-born Ghahraman moved to New Zealand as a child with her family when they were granted political asylum.
After studying law, she became a United Nations human rights lawyer working on international criminal tribunals before entering parliament in 2017.
Prior to the allegations becoming public, Ghahraman had been criticised for her prominent involvement in a string of pro-Palestine protests.
Former Green Party co-leader James Shaw has said Ghahraman suffered “continuous threats” since the day she entered parliament and that pressure had intensified before her offences.
