Ghahraman appeals

Stuff reports:

Through her lawyer Annabel Cresswell, Ghahraman appealed the convictions at the Auckland High Court on Monday.

Cresswell told Justice Geoffrey Venning the convictions may impact Ghahraman’s June 2024 job application at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

People cannot work for the ICC if they have been convicted of serious criminal offending, Cresswell said, however it was was unclear if Ghahraman’s offending was serious enough for this to be a barrier.

This is a very weak argument. Ghahraman is merely an applicant for a job. She is not stated token be in the running for it, or short-listed yet alone preferred. And even if she was, the conviction is unlikely to be regarded as serious offending.

Auckland’s Crown Solicitor Alysha McClintock, acting on behalf of the police, argued any impacts on Ghahraman’s future employment and mental health were consequences of the offending itself, not the convictions.

McClintock said it was unclear whether the offending would impact Ghahraman’s application to work for the ICC, and that Cresswell had failed to provide evidence regarding the status of the application or whether it was still being pursued.

Can only agree.