Jorge Figueroa Arrested in Thailand: Ex-Miss Universe Chief Claims He Is a 'Rotten Apple'

A beauty pageant should be a theatre of diplomacy and grace. Yet, just over a week before the Miss Universe 2025 grand finale, the atmosphere in Thailand is one of open warfare, and the rivalry between the Mexican and Thai national organisations has escalated into a full-blown legal incident.

The feud has now boiled over, with local media reporting that Jorge Figueroa, the director of Miss Universe Mexico, has been arrested. This stunning development follows a formal complaint filed with local authorities by his Thai counterpart, Nawat Itsaragrisil.

Thai press reports indicate Itsaragrisil took legal action to expose a company involved in commercial agreements with Miss Universe. This is a high-stakes manoeuvre in a country with a strict ban on gambling, as one of this year's pageant sponsors is reportedly an online casino.

Police, responding to Nawat's complaint, arrested several individuals, including Figueroa.

Jorge Figueroa and the Feud That Led to an Arrest

This legal bombshell is the climax of a feud that has been simmering for weeks. The conflict first exploded into public view during a controversial onstage incident where Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly attacked Mexico's contestant, Fátima Bosch.

During that uncomfortable confrontation, Nawat chillingly claimed that her national director had been 'removed from the country by the police.' At the time, the statement seemed like a dramatic exaggeration; it now appears to have been a forecast of events to come.

Figueroa himself had previously acknowledged the tension in an interview on the show De Primera Mano. 'It's really with Miss Universe Thailand, with the management, directly with Mr. Nawat. We have both cultural and professional differences,' he said.

He continued, 'I believe the guiding principle should always be respect. He definitely doesn't have it, he doesn't know respect, and he hasn't respected the movement that Fátima Bosch represents. We don't share the same values, and that's where the differences began. But feeling supported by the main Miss Universe Organization, that's what matters most to us.'

While he did not mention any legal conflict at the time, he did reveal he had left the hotel where he was staying, a statement that now aligns with Nawat's public threat.

'The Rotten Apple': Jorge Figueroa's Predecessor Speaks Out

The shocking arrest was confirmed by an unlikely source: actress and former Miss Universe Mexico director, Martha Cristiana. When asked by journalist Miguel Masjuan about her successor's reported detention, she replied simply, 'That's right.'

Cristiana, who also commented on the arrest of several makeup artists, did not stop there. She shared that her own abrupt resignation from the organisation was due to irregularities she witnessed involving Figueroa.

'I realised things weren't going to work. There were too many conflicts. There was one person I called, at the time, 'the rotten apple,'' she stated. 'He was creating problems with many young women who wanted to join the project and were not being treated well, they were being disrespected. That person is Jorge Figueroa.'

So far, neither the Miss Universe Organization nor the Mexican franchise has issued an official comment regarding the arrest. While local reports indicate that Figueroa and the detained makeup artists have since been released, the damage is done.

Tensions between the organisations remain at a breaking point, casting a dark shadow over the final days of the competition to crown Victoria Kjær Theilvig's successor.