Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is overseas as she faces allegations of shoplifting from an upmarket Auckland clothing boutique, The New Zealand Herald has revealed.
Ghahraman left the country in the days after the alleged incident on a trip the Green Party says was pre-planned.
A man at Ghahraman’s Auckland home on Thursday afternoon told the Herald she was travelling with friends.
The prominent MP has not been charged, but police have confirmed they received a report of alleged shoplifting at Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby on December 23.
“Initial inquiries are still being made into this report and police are not able to comment further at this stage,” a police spokesperson said.
Green Party communications director Danny Stevens said Ghahraman is “overseas on a personal trip that was planned many months ago”.
The Green Party said it was aware of the allegations and the MP “will stand aside from all portfolio responsibilities until the matter is resolved”.
A political commentator earlier said whether true or not, the allegations would tarnish Ghahraman's reputation.
Brigitte Morten told Newstalk ZB this morning it would be difficult for Ghahraman to rebuild her reputation.
“I think it’s going to be difficult even if they come out and say that it was a misunderstanding or that it was, you know, incorrectly accused etc, it’s still going to be a tarnish on her reputation.
“Obviously, she’s a senior and experienced member of the Greens so, for her, she’s going to have to sort of rebuild that credibility gap.”
Morten said if the allegations were true, it would “absolutely speak to the unsuitability of someone to be an MP”.
“You’ve got to respect the law of the land, particularly when you are making the law of the land.”
In a statement, a Green Party spokesperson said the party was “aware of allegations regarding MP Golriz Ghahraman” and was in contact with Scotties Boutique to “better understand and address the situation”.
“Green MPs are expected to maintain high standards of public behaviour,” the spokesperson said.
ZB Plus has approached the MP for comment.
Ghahraman made New Zealand history as the first refugee to be sworn in as an MP, having arrived in Aotearoa as a child asylum-seeker with her family from Iran.
She was selected as a Green Party list candidate in January 2017 and in the 2023 election was ranked at number seven on the list.
Before becoming an MP she was a human rights lawyer.
In 2017, Ghahraman became embroiled in controversy amid allegations she and her party misrepresented her work on war crimes tribunals. Commentators said she and leader James Shaw played down her defence role while inaccurately stating she worked as a prosecutor.
Recently, she has been outspoken on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza, considering it “ethnic cleansing” and called on world leaders to stand against Israel’s military actions she has described as “crimes against humanity”.
In 2020, Ghahraman revealed she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, saying she had a “responsibility” to start an honest conversation about the autoimmune disease.
She said she first learned about her diagnosis in 2018 after she began to lose sight in one eye and described being on “hardcore medication” and having to visit a hospital every six months.
