Golriz Ghahraman has more front than the now defunct Smith and Caughey’s stores. She has decided to appeal her sentencing for her brazen shoplifting while a sitting MP.
Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman has appealed her shoplifting convictions.
Ghahraman pleaded guilty to four charges of shoplifting following an investigation which found she had stolen around $8367 worth of clothing from three shops in Wellington, Ponsonby and Newmarket in 2023.
The allegations prompted Ghahraman to resign as a Green list MP. She had previously been the party’s spokesperson for justice and foreign affairs.
On June 27, Judge June Jelas declined Ghahraman’s request for a discharge without conviction and ordered her to pay a fine of $1600 and court costs of $260.
Through her lawyer Annabel Cresswell, Ghahraman appealed the convictions at the Auckland High Court on Monday.
Cresswell told Justice Geoffrey Venning the convictions may impact Ghahraman’s June 2024 job application at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
People cannot work for the ICC if they have been convicted of serious criminal offending, Cresswell said, however it was was unclear if Ghahraman’s offending was serious enough for this to be a barrier.
The added stress from the risk on her future employment options would have a further negative impact on her mental health, she added.
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