New Zealand Parliament member Golriz Ghahraman, a prominent figure in the Green Party, has tendered her resignation amidst mounting accusations of shoplifting.
The allegations involve three instances of theft from two clothing stores, one in and another in Wellington.
The controversy escalated with the emergence of CCTV footage allegedly capturing Ms Ghahraman taking a designer handbag from an Auckland boutique, leading to her decision to step down on Tuesday.
In her resignation statement, Ms Ghahraman expressed remorse for her actions.
She attributed her unusual behaviour to potential work-related stress, emphasising its departure from her usual character.
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“I have let down a lot of people, and I am very sorry,” she stated, acknowledging that her actions fell short of the high standards expected from elected representatives.
While the 42-year-old politician has not faced criminal charges, she admitted in her resignation statement that her recent conduct is challenging to explain rationally.
Following a medical evaluation, she revealed insights from mental health professionals who associated her behaviour with extreme stress response and previously unrecognised trauma.
“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 said.
“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 trauma.
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 Oxford-educated human rights lawyer was born in Iran and became the country’s first refugee MP when elected in 2017.
In recent months, she rose to become one of the country’s leading voices for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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