FILE - Thai business tycoon Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip poses for a photo after a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
A BANGKOK court has issued an arrest warrant for a co- owner of the Miss Universe Organization in connection with a fraud case.
Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip (pic) was charged with fraud and then released on bail in 2023.
She failed to appear as required in court on Tuesday.
Since she did not notify the court about her absence, she was deemed to be a flight risk, according to a statement from the Bangkok South District Court.
The court rescheduled the hearing for Dec 26.
According to the court’s statement, Jakkaphong and her company, JKN Global Group Public Co Ltd, were sued for allegedly defrauding Raweewat Maschamadol by selling him the company’s corporate bonds in 2023.
Raweewat says the investment caused him to lose 30 million baht (RM3.8mil).
Financially troubled JKN defaulted on payments to investors beginning in 2023 and began debt rehabilitation procedures with the Central Bankruptcy Court in 2024.
The company says it has debts totalling about 3 billion baht (RM384mil).
JKN acquired the rights to the Miss Universe pageant from IMG Worldwide LLC in 2022.
In 2023, it sold 50% of its Miss Universe shares to Legacy Holding Group USA, which is owned by Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantu.
In an unrelated case in Mexico, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that Rocha Cantu has been under investigation since November 2024 for alleged organised crime activities, including drug and arms trafficking, as well as fuel theft.
The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that Raul “R” was the target of the investigation.
The Miss Universe Organization did not respond to media requests for comment.
Jakkaphong resigned from all of the company’s positions in June after being accused by Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission of falsifying the company’s 2023 financial statements.
She nevertheless remains its largest shareholder.
Her current whereabouts remain unclear. She did not appear at the 74th Miss Universe competition, which was held in Bangkok earlier this month.
This year’s competition was marred by various problems, including a sharp-tongued scolding by a Thai organiser of Fatima Bosch Fernandez of Mexico, who was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Nov 19.
Two judges reportedly dropped out, with one suggesting that there was an element of rigging to the contest.
Separately, police investigated allegations that publicity for the event included illegal promotion of online casinos.
On Monday, JKN denied rumours that Jakkaphong had liquidated the company’s assets and fled the country.
There has been no immediate reaction from the company regarding the arrest warrant.
Jakkaphong is a well-known celebrity in Thailand who has starred in reality shows and is outspoken about her identity as a transgender woman. — AP
