Thai Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Miss Universe Co-Owner Amid $930,000 Fraud Allegations

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A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, the media mogul co-owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, over alleged fraud worth $930,000. The warrant was issued on Tuesday after Jakapong failed to appear in court, with a verdict rescheduled for December 26. The case centers around a plastic surgeon who accused Jakapong of persuading him to invest in her company, JKN Global Group, in 2023, knowing she couldn't return the money on time. The surgeon claimed Jakapong concealed information about the investment. This latest scandal comes as the Miss Universe contest, which concluded last week, was marred by controversy, including a public bust-up between a male host and the eventual winner, Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch. In a bizarre incident, the host called Bosch 'dumb' and singled her out for failing to post promotional content, prompting Bosch to lead a walk-out. The host later apologized, but the incident drew attention from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who praised Bosch for speaking out. The Miss Universe Organization has distanced itself from the legal proceedings, stating that they are 'entirely separate' from its operations. However, the controversy surrounding Jakapong's JKN Global Group has raised questions about the company's financial stability. In 2024, the Stock Exchange of Thailand delisted JKN shares after the company failed to submit financial statements and was found to have falsified them. This is not the first controversy to hit the Miss Universe pageant, which was formerly owned by US President Donald Trump. Jakapong's company, JKN Global Group, bought the pageant for $20 million in 2022, but later sold half its stake to a Mexican firm for $16 million.