'Not a one-off': What happens to Golriz Ghahraman after guilty pleas?

Author: Raphael Franks,
Publish Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2024, 8:24PM

The legal career of disgraced former Green MP and admitted shoplifter Golriz Ghahraman could be in tatters after she pleaded guilty to all charges in court today, a legal expert says.

Appearing in Auckland District Court, Ghahraman admitted to four shoplifting charges over allegations she stole nearly $9000 worth of goods.

Those charges related to the 43-year-old stealing $2060 of clothing from Scotties Boutique in Auckland’s Ponsonby on December 21 and then taking a further $5773 worth of clothes from the same store two days later.

Ghahraman - a former human rights lawyer - also stole $695 worth of clothing from Wellington’s Cre8iveworx store on October 22. The fourth charge was for the theft of a $389 navy cardigan from Standard Issue in Newmarket on December 22.

Each charge connected with Scotties had a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. Her charge connected with Cre8iveworx carries a maximum of a year’s jail time, while the charge in relation to Standard Issue had a maximum penalty of three months.

Law expert Bill Hodge told the Herald Ghahraman’s defence lawyer would likely claim any conviction would be disproportionate to the crime she committed and could seek a discharge without conviction.

“Even if the sentence is just minor community service, that would be the death penalty for her career. Her counsel will certainly argue there should be a discharge without conviction,” he said.

“The Crown [prosecution], on the other hand, may say this is not a one-off incident - this is not even a case where she went to the same place twice, she has done it again, and again, and again.”

Hodge considered what prosecutors would argue, that Ghahraman’s crime was serious and a member of Parliament should face the same consequences as others.

A man, understood to be acting as security for Golriz Ghahraman, shines a torch into photographers' cameras as she leaves the Auckland District Court. Photo / Dean Purcell

“[A possible defence would be that] this is nothing to do with [Ghahraman’s] career, the mental stress and strain of being in the public eye, and so a conviction affecting her ability to get employment in human rights law and international law would be unfair,” he said.

A probation officer would make a pre-sentence report considering these factors before Ghahraman reappears in court, he said.

He thought it was unlikely a cultural report would be prepared, given Ghahraman was not raised in a gang or by drug-addicted parents. He said any report could consider the circumstances of her migration to New Zealand.

“The main question is; what will the judge decide after they get this pre-sentence report? The judge will see two elements of the report [and question] ... the characteristics of the offender and the characteristics of the actual conduct which brought her to where she is today.

Ghahraman’s guilty pleas would likely help her case if she did seek a discharge, Hodge said.

“And since she has pleaded guilty, that is a major mark forward in terms of [any possible] sentence. A guilty plea is the number one step in mitigation [reducing a sentence].

“It’s a step in proving to the court that this was not characteristic of [Ghahraman], she’s so ashamed and she’s willing to make restitution. It’s the number one step for her defence counsel to argue she has already paid the price and acknowledged her guilt and thus there’s no need for the court to do anything else.”

Regardless of any sentence, Hodge said it was possible Ghahraman could continue working in a legal field, saying human rights and international law did not usually involve being in court or needing a licence to practise.

Former Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman in the dock of the Auckland District Court where she pleaded guilty to charges of shoplifting. Photo / Dean Purcell

“Most human rights law work is trying to get an agency to provide assistance, influence the government, lobby some other organisation - that sort of thing,” Hodge said.

“She [Ghahraman] would have opportunities to be in any organisation, but she’d have to be upfront [about any conviction] and many of them may think, ‘Well, there’s thousands of law graduates who would dream of those jobs’.”

In a statement after NZME first broke news of Ghahraman’s then-alleged crimes, she apologised for her behaviour and said she did not excuse her actions.

She cited “extreme stress” and linked it to previously unrecognised trauma. She said she was seeking help from mental health professionals.

Judge Maria Pecotic has remanded Ghahraman at large until her sentencing on June 24.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.