A fresh controversy is rippling through the global pageant scene as Miss Universe Thailand’s (MUT) national director, Nawat Itsaragrisil, has filed a criminal complaint against newly crowned Miss Universe 2025 Fatima Bosch of Mexico, accusing her of making “repeated defamatory statements” against him.
Nawat, who holds the MUT franchise for five years and serves as the Miss Universe Organization’s (MUO) vice-president for Asiana, is also president of rival pageant Miss Grand International (MGI). MUT publicly released a four-page police incident report on Dec 3, escalating the dispute onto the global stage.
According to the report, Nawat appeared at Bangkok’s Wat Phraya Krai Police Station on Nov 12 to accuse Bosch, 25, of issuing false public statements that harmed his reputation both locally and abroad.
Read more: Miss Universe Co-Owners Hit With Arrest Warrants Amid Pageant Drama
“If any further defamatory actions are discovered, additional legal action will be taken to the fullest extent of the law,” read MUT’s caption accompanying the report.
Confrontation in Bangkok
The complaint traces back to a tense moment on Nov 4, during pre-pageant activities in Bangkok. Nawat had confronted Bosch in front of fellow delegates for refusing to participate in a sponsored shoot — an exchange that resulted in Bosch walking out. Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Theilvig of Denmark followed shortly after, joined by several other contestants.
Amid swirling rumours, MUT reiterated that Nawat never called Bosch a “dumb head” during the confrontation before the sashing ceremony. Instead, the organisation claimed audio recordings proved he had used the word “damage” as part of a warning, not an insult.
The organisation doubled down in its latest statement:
“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,” it said.
“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.”
Media Warnings and Miss Universe Fallout
MUT further accused Bosch of “misrepresenting the incident” across international media platforms even after winning the crown. The organisation warned that media outlets reporting inaccurately on the episode risk being considered “co-conspirators in defamation”.
The mounting dispute comes as Bosch — now at the centre of global attention — expressed her commitment to complete her reign despite the ongoing controversy. Her win has been shadowed by allegations that the outcome was “predetermined” due to her father’s supposed business connections with MUO president Raul Rocha.
Bosch has dismissed the claims emphatically. Speaking to ABC News on Dec 3, she described the backlash as a “campaign of hate”, insisting her father has no ties to MUO.
“Maybe in Walmart, you can buy a crown. But not in Miss Universe, for sure,” she said.
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.”
Bosch is now the fourth Mexican woman to claim the Miss Universe crown, following Lupita Jones (1991), Ximena Navarrete (2010) and Andrea Meza (2020) — the latter notably serving as a judge during this year’s coronation.
