Miss Universe Crisis: Ex-VP Updates Chavit Singson on Acquisition Talks, Owners Face Arrest Warrants Over Fraud

Chavit Singson reveals arrest warrants against Miss Universe co-owners as acquisition talks accelerate with creditors and insiders.

In a bombshell Facebook post on Friday, 2 January 2026, Luis Chavit Singson revealed explosive new information about the Miss Universe Organization's ownership crisis. The former Ilocos Sur governor disclosed that both current co-owners – Thai executive Anne Jakrajutatip and Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú – are now subject to arrest warrants, effectively removing them from active control of the pageant.

Singson announced that he had hosted what he termed 'a good chat' with his daughter, Congresswoman Richelle Singson, alongside Shawn McClain, identified as the former Miss Universe Vice President. The meeting, Singson's post indicates, centred on 'possible acquisition talks on Miss Universe Organization.'

Miss Universe Acquisition: Arrest Warrants Expose Ownership Vacuum

The post contains a critical clarification: 'MUO is not owned anymore by Anne Jakrajutatip or Raul Rocha Cantú. In fact, they both have arrest warrants against them!' Singson declared, adding: 'We look forward to having discussions with the rightful owners, the creditors they defrauded.'

This revelation fundamentally shifts the acquisition narrative. Rather than negotiating with the scandal-plagued co-owners themselves, Singson now appears to be positioning his potential buyout as a creditors' play – effectively rescuing the organisation on behalf of those who have been defrauded by its current leadership.

The statement underscores the severity of the Miss Universe Organization's implosion:Jakrajutatip is currently a fugitive following her December 2025 sentencing to two years in prison without suspension for a 30 million baht ($951,927 USD) fraud scheme. Rocha Cantú faces Mexican investigations into alleged organised criminal activities, with authorities having frozen his bank accounts.

Singson's post, whilst brief, carries significant weight. By naming McClain – a figure with intimate knowledge of Miss Universe's operational and governance structures – Singson signals that his acquisition bid carries institutional credibility and insider backing, not merely billionaire caprice.

Miss Universe Acquisition Plans: Creditors and Insiders Rally Behind Singson's Bid

The timing is strategic: the announcement arrives precisely as former Miss Universe executives and creditors seek a pathway forward. Singson's framing of the potential acquisition as a rescue operation benefiting 'rightful owners, the creditors they defrauded' repackages his bid as a moral imperative rather than a commercial speculation.

For the Miss Universe pageant, now effectively orphaned by its disgraced co-owners and lacking stable leadership, Singson's stated willingness to acquire 'if the price is right' has transformed from an ambitious proposition into a potential lifeline – one powered by a businessman who has already demonstrated his capacity to execute a flawless pageant hosting, and whose family now stands ready to assume operational control.