Police are investigating a complaint of shoplifting at an Auckland supermarket made against former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman, the Herald understands.
Ghahraman has already pleaded guilty to four shoplifting charges in March 2024, relating to $9000 worth of theft from three separate stores in 2023.
The most recent incident is alleged to have occurred in late 2024 at a Pak’nSave supermarket in the Auckland suburb of Royal Oak.
When presented with the allegations against a former MP, a police spokesperson said: “Police can advise a shoplifting complaint is under investigation from late 2024.”
Police would not comment any further on privacy grounds. No charges have been laid.
Ghahraman’s lawyer did not deny the allegations.
Ghahraman resigned from Parliament on January 16, 2024, less than a week after NZME broke the story of the first of what would become four shoplifting allegations.
She was later convicted for the theft of more than $7800 worth of clothing during two trips to Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby in the week before Christmas in 2023.
She also stole $695 worth of clothing from Cre8tiveworx in Wellington in October and a $389 cardigan from Standard Issue in Newmarket during the same three-day period when she targeted the Ponsonby store.
In October 2024 at Auckland District Court, Judge June Jelas denied her request for a discharge without conviction, the basis for an appeal.
Ghahraman is not at her Auckland home, her flatmate and tenant told the Herald.
”I think she’s out of town with friends,” he said.
Another neighbour said he saw Ghahraman at her home on Monday.
He said her car was parked in one of a handful of allocated street parks that day but he hadn’t seen her or her car since.
Pak’nSave would not confirm details of the shoplifting complaint when questioned.
“Each quarter, Foodstuffs North Island stores report 4500 to 5000 incidents of retail crime,” a Pak’nSave spokesperson said in response to the Herald’s questions.
“We have responsibilities around respecting people’s privacy, so providing information on whether an individual is known or not known to our retail crime teams is not something we can help you with.”
The Green Party had no comment on the matter.
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