New Zealand MP Resigns Following Shoplifting Allegations [VIDEO]

Golriz Ghahraman

New Zealand MP steps down after being seen on camera stealing thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise from a store, citing stress at work as the reason

Golriz Ghahraman, a well-known member of the Green Party of New Zealand Parliament, has tendered her resignation amid growing charges of shoplifting.

Three incidents of theft from two clothing stores—one in Wellington and the other in—are the subject of the allegations. Following the release of purported CCTV footage showing Ms. Ghahraman removing a high-end handbag from an Auckland boutique, the controversy intensified and she decided to resign on Tuesday.

She shared information from mental health specialists who connected her behavior to an extreme stress response and previously undiagnosed travma after undergoing a medical evaluation. “It's not a behaviour I can explain because it's not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I'm not well,” she continued.

 “The mental health professional I see says my recent behaviour is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response and relating to previously unrecognised trama. The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a member of parliament and to focus on my recovery and to find other ways to work for positive change in the world.”

The human rights attorney, who attended Oxford University, was born in Iran and was elected as the nation's first MP for refugees in 2017. She has become one of the nation's most prominent advocates for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in recent months.

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