BANGKOK: A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for the media mogul co-owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant over alleged fraud worth $930,000, a court official said on Wednesday.
This year’s Miss Universe contest concluded last week after a streak of scandal including a tantrum by the host and allegations of sexism.
But after Miss Mexico was crowned winner, a fresh outrage has hit Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip — whose JKN Global Group co-owns the contest.
The South Bangkok Civil Court issued a warrant for Jakapong on Tuesday after a plastic surgeon accused her of fraud and concealing information when persuading him to invest in JKN in 2023.
“The defendant invited (the plaintiff) to invest knowing her inability to return the money within the appointed time,” said a court statement shared with AFP on Wednesday.
A verdict in the 30 million baht ($930,000) case was scheduled Tuesday, but Jakapong failed to appear in court and the warrant was issued because her behavior “could be interpreted as fleeing,” it said.
The court has rescheduled the verdict to December 26, but some local media reported Jakapong had left for Mexico amid rumors of mounting financial woes.
The Miss Universe Organization said in a statement earlier this year “these legal proceedings are entirely separate” from its operations.
Miss Universe 2025 wrapped up in Bangkok on Friday, after drama stirred by a public bust-up between a male competition host and the eventually victorious Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch.
In a livestreamed event, the host singled her out for failing to post promotional content and allegedly called her “dumb,” prompting Bosch to lead a walk-out.
He apologized after a weepy news conference, though his behavior drew the attention of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum who praised her compatriot for speaking out.
The Miss Universe contest was formerly owned by US President Donald Trump.
Jakapong’s JKN Global Group bought it for $20 million in 2022, but later sold half its stake to Mexican firm Legacy Holding Group USA for $16 million.
In 2024, the Stock Exchange of Thailand delisted JKN shares after the company failed to submit financial statements and was found to have falsified them.
Thai court issues arrest warrant for Miss Universe co-owner
https://arab.news/p76z4
Thai court issues arrest warrant for Miss Universe co-owner
- Media mogul Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip’s JKN Global Group co-owns the contest
North Korea and China to resume passenger train service after six-year gap
- China’s railway authority said in a notice that Beijing-Pyongyang trains will operate four times a week
- The resumption from March 12 will “further promote China-North Korea travel, trade and economic cooperation”
SEOUL/BEIJING: Tickets for the first passenger train in six years from Beijing to North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, were sold out ahead of its March 12 departure, an official ticketing office in Beijing said on Tuesday.
The resumption of the rail service, suspended since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, revives a critical transport link between the largely isolated North Korea and its primary economic ally.
Tickets for the journey — restricted to travelers holding business visas — were purchased by entrepreneurs, government officials and reporters, according to the Beijing ticketing office. Tickets were still available for the next service, scheduled for March 18.
NORTH KOREA STILL LARGELY CLOSED TO TOURISTS
China’s railway authority said in a notice that Beijing-Pyongyang trains will operate four times a week in both directions on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday while Dandong-Pyongyang trains will run daily.
The resumption from March 12 will “further promote China-North Korea travel, trade and economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges to enhance mutual well-being and friendship,” the notice said.
North Korea remains closed to most foreign tourism, with limited exceptions largely for Russian tour groups under restricted arrangements, according to travel agencies organizing trips to the country.
Before the pandemic, Chinese visitors made up the largest share of foreign tourists to North Korea, the agencies said. Tour organizers said on Monday that North Korea had canceled next month’s Pyongyang Marathon for unspecified reasons. The race is one of the few events that has been open to international participants in the isolated state.
