Miss Universe Co-Owners Embroiled in Legal Crisis
The Miss Universe Organisation, fresh from one of its most controversial pageants in recent memory, now faces an unprecedented crisis as both of its co-owners confront serious legal challenges and arrest warrants. Just days after Fátima Bosch was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand, Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú and Thai media mogul Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip find themselves at the centre of separate criminal investigations that threaten to overshadow the competition entirely.
Dual Arrest Warrants Rock Pageant Leadership
In a dramatic development this week, Mexican media revealed that Raúl Rocha Cantú, who owns half of the Miss Universe Organisation, is under investigation for alleged involvement in drug, gun and fuel trafficking between Guatemala and Mexico. Rocha, whose business interests span industry, casinos and the beauty pageant, initially denied any wrongdoing, telling El País: "It is completely false that I have an arrest warrant." However, the attorney general's office later confirmed the existence of the investigation and disclosed that arrest orders had been issued for 13 individuals, including "Raúl R, about whom there have been various public reports."
Simultaneously, Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, the Thai co-owner of the pageant, faces her own legal troubles. A Thai court issued an arrest warrant for Jakkaphong after she failed to appear in court for a fraud case verdict. The media executive stands accused by a plastic surgeon of concealing information when persuading them to invest in her company, JKN Global Group. The judge deemed her a flight risk and ordered her arrest. Her current whereabouts remain unknown.
Controversial Pageant Preceded Legal Drama
These legal developments represent the latest twist in what was already an exceptionally dramatic edition of Miss Universe. The competition, held earlier this month, featured multiple controversies including onstage injuries, dramatic walkouts and allegations of vote rigging. Fátima Bosch, then Miss Mexico, went viral when she staged a walkout after being called "dumb" by the pageant's director for failing to post promotional content. The incident prompted a tearful apology from the director and drew support from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who described Bosch as an "example of how we women should speak out."
Bosch's eventual victory over crowd favourite Miss Thailand was immediately clouded by allegations of vote rigging, with two of the eight judges quitting days before the final. One judge suggested the vote was rigged while the other cited "unforeseen personal reasons." Further complicating matters, Mexican media reported business ties between Rocha and Pemex, the Mexican state oil company where Bosch's father has worked for decades, though both Rocha and Bosch's father denied any personal business connections.
At a press conference addressing the situation, President Sheinbaum defended Bosch, stating: "[Any investigation of Rocha] is independent of the young woman who won the competition. They want to connect them, but they are different. They want to detract from her achievement." The unfolding legal dramas surrounding both co-owners now cast a long shadow over the future of the iconic beauty pageant and its leadership.
