A WANTED WOMAN

Arrest Warrant Issued for Miss Universe Boss

The famous contest is facing yet another controversy.

The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is facing another controversy with an arrest warrant reportedly issued for one of its co-founders. According to a court statement shared with AFP, the South Bangkok Civil Court issued an arrest warrant for Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip after she failed to appear for a verdict in a 2023 fraud case. Jakrajutatip and her company, JKN Global Group Public Co. Ltd., were sued in 2023 by plastic surgeon Raweewat Maschamadol, who accused them of persuading him to invest in JKN and causing him to lose 30 million baht ($930,362), according to The Independent. The court said Jakrajutatip, whose company acquired the Miss Universe pageant in 2022, “could be interpreted as fleeing,” and local media have reported she may have traveled to Mexico. She also skipped the Nov. 21 Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, which was rocked by a mass walkout after pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil called the eventual winner, Mexican contestant Fátima Bosch, “dumb.” Days earlier, judge and Lebanese composer Omar Harfouch quit, alleging the competition was rigged and saying he refused “to be part of this charade.” Earlier this year, MUO said that Jakrajutatip’s case was “entirely separate” from the organization. The Daily Beast has reached out to MUO for comment.