Pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil files criminal complaint against Miss Universe 2025 winner

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Nawat Itsaragrisil (left) has filed a criminal complaint against Fatima Bosch.

Mr Nawat Itsaragrisil (left) has filed a criminal complaint against Miss Universe winner Fatima Bosch.

PHOTOS: REUTERS, EPA

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Miss Universe Thailand’s (MUT) national director Nawat Itsaragrisil has filed a criminal complaint against Ms Fatima Bosch of Mexico, the newly crowned Miss Universe 2025, over “repeated defamatory statements” made against him. 

He acquired the MUT franchise for five years and is Miss Universe Organization’s (MUO) vice-president for Asiana. He is also president of rival pageant Miss Grand International (MGI).

MUT posted a four-page police incident report on its Facebook account on Dec 3.

It states that Mr Nawat showed up at the Wat Phraya Krai Police Station in Bangkok on Nov 12 to accuse Ms Bosch, 25, of making false public statements that allegedly damaged his reputation in Thailand and abroad. 

“If any further defamatory actions are discovered, additional legal action will be taken to the fullest extent of the law,” read the organisation’s caption. 

The complaint stems from an incident on Nov 4 in Bangkok, where

Mr Nawat confronted Ms Bosch in front of other delegates

over refusing to participate in a sponsored shoot, which led to Ms Bosch walking out. Ms Victoria Theilvig of Denmark, the Miss Universe 2024 winner, followed suit, along with beauty queens from other countries.

MUT reiterated in its latest statement that Mr Nawat never called Ms Bosch “dumb head” during the confrontation before the sashing ceremony. It said audio recordings from the room showed the MGI head saying the word “damage” as part of a warning. 

“However, when Ms Fatima Bosch Fernandez walked out of the room, she immediately made a false accusation in front of the media by publicly claiming otherwise. Even after she later became aware of the facts, she did not apologise to Mr Nawat Itsaragrisil,” continued the statement.

“Instead, she continued to falsely accuse him in multiple interviews, seemingly for personal gain and to justify herself throughout the competition – after which she was ultimately crowned Miss Universe, as everyone is aware.”  

MUT further accused Ms Bosch of “misrepresenting the incident” across media platforms even after her coronation. It warned media outlets to be cautious of reporting the incident, as “failure to do so may result in legal action against such media entities as co-conspirators in defamation”. 

The complaint came after Ms Bosch declared she is keen on keeping her Miss Universe 2025 title until the end of her reign. There were allegations that her victory was “predetermined” due to her father’s alleged business ties with MUO president Raul Rocha.

She told ABC News in an interview on Dec 3 that the backlash surrounding her win is merely a “campaign of hate” and that her father has nothing to do with MUO.

“Maybe in Walmart, you can buy a crown. But not in Miss Universe, for sure.”

She added: “I made the same effort that all (the candidates in the pageant) made. And this is a joke. But I feel like I made history.”

Ms Bosch is the fourth Mexican woman to take home the Miss Universe crown after Ms Lupita Jones (1991), Ms Ximena Navarrete (2010) and Ms Andrea Meza (2020), who was notably one of the judges during the 2025 coronation show. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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