Arrest Warrant Issued For Miss Universe Co

A court in Thailand has announced an arrest warrant for Miss Universe co-owner Jakapong ‘Anne’ Jakrajutatip in connection to a fraud case.

The 46-year-old CEO did not show up for a verdict in a $930,000 civil hearing on November 25.

She also failed to notify the court of her absence and has been deemed a flight risk.

The Bangkok South Civil Court issued the warrant after she failed to make an appearance.

In 2023, Jakrajutatip was charged with fraud back after Raweewat Maschamadol, a plastic surgeon, sued her and her company JKN Global Group Public Co. Ltd. for allegedly defrauding him while selling corporate bonds.

A court statement which claims Jakrajutatip convinced Maschamadol to invest while knowing ‘her inability to return the money within the appointed time.’

At the time of writing, Jakrajutatip’s whereabouts is unclear.

She was notably missing from the 74th Miss Universe competition, which was held in Bangkok on November 21 and won by Fatima Bosch, also known as Miss Mexico.

This is the latest media storm to rock Miss Universe.

This year’s competition has been one of the most scandal-plagued seasons in pageant history.

Earlier in November, Bosch, 25, made headlines when she stormed out of a key event after pageant organiser Nawat Itsaragrasil publicly berated her and called her ‘dumb’ in front of stunned competitors.

The trouble began at a promotional event where Thai media tycoon and pageant organiser Itsaragrasil angrily confronted Bosch over her apparent failure to post promotional content on her social media.

When she pushed back, he dramatically called in security and threatened to punish anyone siding with her – prompting Bosch to walk out as several contestants bravely followed.

Other beauty queens appeared to rise in solidarity with Bosch, before freezing as Itsaragrasil warned those still wanting to participate should ‘sit down’.

Barely a week later, the chaos escalated with the resignation of two judges – including one who openly accused organizers of rigging the entire competition.

Judge Omar Harfouch announced his resignation, alleging a secretive ‘impromptu jury’ had locked in finalists long before the show.

Hours later, fellow judge and former football great Claude Makelele also quit – citing ‘unforeseen personal reasons.’

If that wasn’t enough, earlier this week, the president of the Miss Universe Organization, Raul Rocha, came under fire for suggesting that Côte d’Ivoire’s Olivia Yacé didn’t win the competition due to visa restrictions.

Rocha was speaking with Mexican journalist Adela Micha when he made the surprising statement.

In a clip shared to social media, he insinuated that Côte d’Ivoire’s Olivia Yacé wasn’t crowned because the West African country requires a visa to enter 175 countries.

‘There are many things that are evaluated,’ Rocha said in Spanish, as per the English translation of a clip shared online to Instagram by an account called missuupdates.

‘The job is one year of Miss Universe, 175 countries ask for a visa for Côte d’Ivoire,’ he continued.

‘Well, then she is going to be Miss Universe who spent a whole year in an apartment,’ he continued passionately.

‘Of course we want her to be in the universe,’ he said.

Rocha went on to add they want the woman ‘with the most travel and the most contacts with people in the world’ to be crowned.

Rocha faced immediate backlash over his remarks, which were interpreted as suggesting a contestant’s passport strength affects their likelihood of winning the competition.