A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, the media mogul and co-owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, over allegations of fraud totaling $930,000. The warrant, announced by a court official on Wednesday, stems from claims that Jakapong misled a plastic surgeon in 2023 when encouraging him to invest in her company, JKN Global Group.
According to the South Bangkok Civil Court, Jakapong allegedly persuaded the plaintiff to invest “knowing her inability to return the money within the appointed time.” When she failed to appear for the scheduled verdict on Tuesday, the court issued the arrest warrant, citing behavior that could be interpreted as an attempt to evade justice. The verdict has been rescheduled for December 26, though some local reports suggest Jakapong has already traveled to Mexico amid rumors of financial difficulties.
This legal drama follows an already turbulent Miss Universe 2025 pageant, which concluded last week in Bangkok with headline-grabbing controversy. During the livestreamed event, a male host publicly berated Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, accusing her of not posting promotional content and allegedly calling her “dumb.” Bosch walked out of the event in protest, an act later praised by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The host later issued a public apology, yet the incident only added fuel to ongoing tensions surrounding the pageant.
Jakapong’s company, JKN Global Group, co-owns the Miss Universe Organization, which clarified earlier this year that the ongoing legal proceedings are “entirely separate” from the pageant’s operations. Jakapong bought the pageant in 2022 for $20 million, later selling half her stake to the Mexican firm Legacy Holding Group USA for $16 million. Her company has faced further scrutiny after being delisted from the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2024, following allegations of falsified financial statements.
The Miss Universe contest itself has a colorful history, once owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump, and continues to attract global attention not only for its glamour but also for the controversies surrounding its leadership and management. With Jakapong’s legal battles now in the spotlight, the world will be watching closely to see how this high-profile case unfolds in the coming weeks.