The Miss Universe competition is reeling from legal fallout just days after its latest pageant, with its owners facing fraud charges in Thailand and a major criminal investigation in Mexico.
The global beauty brand, once owned by United States President Donald Trump, has been under the control of Thai businesswoman Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip and her company JKN Global since 2022. Now, that ownership is at the centre of mounting controversy.
Jakrajutatip is wanted in Thailand after failing to appear at a Bangkok court hearing over a 30 million baht ($930,000) dispute with an investor. The Bangkok South District Court issued an arrest warrant this week, and her current whereabouts remain unknown, according to Thai media.
Her company’s troubles run deeper. JKN Global has struggled financially since 2023, defaulting on investor payments and filing for rehabilitation with Thailand’s bankruptcy court in 2024. The company reportedly owes around 3 billion baht ($92.63m). Earlier this year, Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission sanctioned Jakrajutatip and JKN for publishing “false or misleading information” in financial statements, issuing a 4 million baht ($124,000) fine.
The SEC said the company failed to fully disclose a deal signed in October 2023 to sell 50 percent of Miss Universe shares to Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantu and his firm, Legacy Holding Group USA Inc.
Jakrajutatip resigned from all company roles following the sanctions but remains a shareholder. She was also notably absent from the Miss Universe event held in Bangkok earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Cantu is under investigation in Mexico for alleged involvement in arms, drug and fuel trafficking between Mexico and Guatemala. Prosecutors have charged 13 people in connection with the case, though Cantu has not yet been formally named, according to AFP.
All this unfolds against the backdrop of a pageant already marred by controversy, including allegations that this year’s competition was rigged.
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