Arrest Warrants Issued for Miss Universe Organization Co-Owners Amid Pageant’s Internal Chaos

The recent Miss Universe competition, which culminated in the crowning of Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, has been followed by significant legal developments concerning the organization's co-owners. Raul Rocha Cantu, the Mexican businessman who owns half of the Miss Universe Organization, is reportedly under investigation in Mexico for alleged involvement in drug, gun, and fuel trafficking between Guatemala and Mexico. Rocha has publicly denied any wrongdoing and stated that the existence of an arrest warrant is false.

Concurrently, the other co-owner, Thai media mogul Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, has had an arrest warrant issued by a Thai court this week. Jakkaphong is facing accusations of fraud from a plastic surgeon, who alleges she concealed information while persuading them to invest in her company, JKN Global Group. The judge ordered the arrest after Jakkaphong failed to appear in court for the scheduled verdict, citing a determination that she posed a flight risk.

These legal issues arise following an already controversial edition of the Miss Universe pageant. Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch went viral early in the competition after staging a dramatic walkout from a meeting. She claimed she was publicly berated and called "dumb" by the pageant's director for failing to post promotional content. Following a public outcry, which included support from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the director issued a tearful apology.

The competition also saw Miss Jamaica hospitalized after she fell off the stage during the preliminary evening gown competition. Furthermore, Bosch's victory was scrutinized when media reported business ties between co-owner Rocha and Pemex, the state oil company, where Bosch’s father has been employed for decades, prompting denials of personal business ties between Rocha and Bosch's father. Days before the final, three judges withdrew from the panel. One judge publicly alleged that the competition was rigged, though the Miss Universe Organization vehemently denied the claims at the time.