Perpetually excellent choice-maker and newly-minted Todd Carney appreciator Schapelle Corby found herself in a spot of potentially fairly serious trouble earlier this week, when her Balinese boyfriend Ben Panangian was arrested on drugs charges.
The 32-year-old Panangian arrived unexpectedly at a friend’s house during a police drug raid on August 20, and it is alleged that he was caught with hashish as he tried to run away. A subsequent search of his home turned up a quantity of marijuana.
Convicted drug smuggler Corby was paroled earlier this year on the condition that she stay away from anything to do with drugs or crime, and her ’14 Bonnie & Clyde situation has not gone over particularly well with Indonesian authorities.
While there was some question as to whether her parole would be revoked after the arrest, it seems that our Schapelle has dodged a bullet, and will be staying out of prison for now.
The Australian report that, as of late yesterday, Balinese police have “no plans” to investigate Corby further, because her relationship with Ben Panangian is “unclear”.
Corby met Panangian, a surfer, when both were imprisoned in Kerobokan jail. They have been photographed together in Kuta, but her parole officer says she has “never mentioned” a boyfriend in her counselling sessions.
That said, authorities have their eye on her. Ketut Artha of the parole board said that officers will be monitoring Corby more closely. “With this case, we will tighten supervision for her,” he said.
Artha said that he plans to personally “warn” Corby about the company she’s keeping when she next reports the parole office in early September. If convicted, Panangian could be going back to prison for 12 years.
Photo: Dimas Ardian via Getty Images
