WELLINGTON: The first refugee to be elected to New Zealand’s parliament resigned Tuesday over alleged shoplifting, which she said was related to personal trauma and stress, local media reported.
Golriz Ghahraman, a lawmaker for the centre-left Green Party and its justice spokesperson, is being probed by police following three accusations of theft from boutique clothing shops.
The MP, a former human rights lawyer, stated her actions were “not a behaviour I can clarify”.
Ghahraman accepted she had fallen short of the standards expected of politicians and required time to address her mental health issues.
Green MP Golriz Gharahman today announced she is quitting politics immediately, in the wake of shoplifting claims made against her.
Here are the full statements from her and the Green Party co-leaders 👇https://t.co/1ZoV0QpIFJ
— 1News (@1NewsNZ) January 15, 2024
Work-related stress and pressure led her to “act in conducts that are completely out of character. I am not attempting to excuse my acts, but I do want to explain them”, she stated.
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She maintained that the mental health professional says her recent behaviour is consistent with recent actions giving rise to extreme stress response, and connecting to previously unrecognised trauma.
She expressed sorry and said that she can explain because it’s not rational in any way, and following medical evaluation, she realized that’s she is not going well.
