Golriz Ghahraman in the dock at the Auckland District Court on Wednesday. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Court documents have revealed details of how former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman stole items of clothing from shops in Auckland and Wellington.
The 43-year-old admitted four shoplifting charges, relating to the theft of thousands of dollars' worth of clothing, when she appeared in the Auckland District Court on Wednesday.
Documents released to RNZ outline what Ghahraman stole, and how she stole it.
The documents state that on 22 October last year, Ghahraman visited the Cre8iveworx store on Cuba Street in central Wellington, where she removed a number of items of clothing from the display rack and took them into the changing rooms.
One item taken was a black Zambesi shirt costing $695.
When she was out of view, Ghahraman placed the shirt inside her clothing or bag.
She left the changing room, and bought a pair of pants at the counter.
"She left the Cre8iveworx store without making any attempt to pay for the Zambesi shirt," the court documents say.
On 21 December, it was stated Ghahraman entered Scotties Boutique in Ponsonby, in Auckland, carrying a large tote bag.
She removed an Acne Studios single breasted coat, valued at $1900, from the rack as well as a pair of black pants, taking them into a changing room and closing the privacy curtain behind her.
While in the changing room, Ghahraman placed the coat into her bag, and returned the pants to the rack after trying them on.
A short while later, she picked up a Commes des Garçons wallet, valued at $160, and took it to a deserted area of the store.
While out of sight, she placed the wallet in her tote bag with the coat.
She continued to browse in the shop for another 16 minutes, before leaving.
The court documents state she made no attempt to pay for the items.
Golriz Ghahraman leaves court after pleading guilty to four shoplifting charges. Photo: RNZ / MARIKA KHABAZI
A day later, court documents show Ghahraman visited Standard Issue, a knitwear store in the Auckland suburb of Newmarket.
While there, she spoke to the store manager, before picking up a navy blue cardigan off the display table.
The cardigan was priced at $389.
While the manager wasn't looking, she placed the cardigan in her tote bag and left the store.
"The manager immediately noticed the cardigan was no longer on the table when Ms Ghahraman left," the document says.
Ghahraman returned to Scotties Boutique the next day, where she attempted to steal a $650 Issey Miyake bag, a $333 Two Squares dress, a $4500 black Row Calanthe dress, and a $290 Lemaire Crepe tank top.
As she left, an employee approached her in the carpark and asked to check inside her bag.
Ghahraman refused, briefly going back inside to offer an explanation, pointing to a dress hung inside a coat as the reason for the misunderstanding.
Later that day, an associate of Ghahraman visited Scotties, carrying Ghahraman's tote bag.
She spoke to the store worker and returned the Row Calanthe dress, the Two Squares dress, and the Issey Miyake bag.
"The Lemaire Crepe tank top was not returned," the documents say.
In the summary of facts, Ghahraman admitted it was her on CCTV footage from the Cre8iveworx store incident, but said she did not recall taking the shirt.
She accepted the facts and admitted to both offences at Scotties Boutique, but declined to comment on the offending at Standard Issue.
Reparation was sought to replace all stolen items, some of which have not been recovered or were unable to be resold after being used.
