Green MP Golriz Ghahraman faces further shoplifting allegations in Wellington - report

Embattled Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is now being linked to a third alleged incident of shoplifting which emerged tonight from a Wellington store.

The high-end Wellington store Cre8iveworx has emailed other businesses in the capital today with an allegation it believed Ghahraman was in the premises in October last year.

Cre8iveworx owner Melanie Smith said in her email that she had laid a police complaint, mentioned Ghahraman by name, and, included images appearing to show Ghahraman in the store, Stuff has reported.

Police confirmed to the Herald they received a report of shoplifting at Cre8iveworx on October 26 last year.

They said police enquiries into the matter are ongoing.

A Green Party spokesman told the Herald: “This is a matter for the police to investigate.”

Cre8iveworx sells high-end dresses, gifts, jewellery and homeware.

It was reported earlier today that Ghahraman has returned to New Zealand after what the Green Party said was a pre-planned overseas trip.

She was not at her Auckland home today when visited by the Herald.

Ghahraman is yet to comment on any of the allegations.

The 43-year-old, who is the Green Party’s seventh-highest ranked list MP and previously held the party’s justice portfolio, was last week revealed to be facing an allegation of shoplifting from Auckland’s Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby on December 23. The incident is being investigated by police.

A second incident at Scotties Boutique also emerged last Friday.

Scotties Boutique on Blake Street in Ponsonby. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Last Friday, Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson issued a joint statement and said they were made aware “of an allegation involving Golriz Ghahraman and Scotties Boutique in Auckland” on December 27.

“At that stage, the situation was not clear,” they said.

“To help us understand the details of what may have happened, a representative of the Green Party sought clarification from the store, as well as from Ms Ghahraman.

“However, with Ms Ghahraman on a long-planned personal trip overseas, Scotties confirmed that they were comfortable waiting for her to return to New Zealand to resolve the issue.”

Shaw and Davidson said they would address the matter with Ghahraman when she returned to New Zealand.

The leaders said they were also advised on January 5 of allegations relating to a second incident at Scotties.

“Scotties had told us they did not want the allegations to become public so we did not make a statement at the time. However, Ms Ghahraman did agree to stand down from her portfolios until the matter was resolved.”

The party confirmed last week she had stood down from all of her portfolio responsibilities until the matter had been resolved.

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.