Green Party co-leaders reveal what they knew about shoplifting allegations

James Shaw and Marama Davidson photo RNZ

The Green Party co-leaders, James Shaw and Marama Davidson, have released a statement addressing their knowledge of allegations surrounding Golriz Ghahraman's shoplifting incidents.

Newstalk ZB Plus reported that Ghahraman, the Greens' justice spokesperson, has stepped down from her roles following accusations of shoplifting at Scotties Boutique in Auckland on December 23.

Additionally, there are claims of a prior shoplifting incident at the same store weeks earlier.

The allegations first appeared on blogger website Marcspring.com.

In a written statement, the Greens Co-leaders said “on 27th December, we became aware of an allegation involving Golriz Ghahraman and Scotties Boutique in Auckland. At that stage, the situation was not clear.

“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.

Composite photo of Ghahraman and Scotties store

“We also agreed as co-leaders to address the matter with Ms. Ghahraman as soon as she returned to New Zealand.

“On 5th January we were advised 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 Green Party has a long-standing commitment to looking into matters such as these in a way that is fair to everyone involved.

“We will not be commenting further until we have gathered all the facts and spoken with Ms. Ghahraman after she returns to New Zealand.

“In the meantime, we are aware that some people may be working to exploit this situation for their own political gain.

To that effect, let us be clear that no other Green Party MPs were involved in the alleged incident, we have had no contact with the Police, and it would not be appropriate for us to comment on their investigation in any way.”