Another embarrassing episode for Raúl Rocha's team at the head of Miss Universe. Following the meeting of national directors held on September 2nd, they released a particularly aggressive statement against Nawat Itsaragrisil , admitting to having deliberately sidelined him along with several members of his team and even going so far as to suggest a possible reconsideration of Miss Universe Thailand's participation in Miss Universe 2026.
But the press release was subsequently deleted. Too late for Nawat, who had saved it and immediately reacted: "Why did you delete it? It's too late. We've already saved everything as evidence."
A new incident that weakens the communication of Raúl Rocha, already heavily criticized for several months regarding his management of Miss Universe.
Raúl Rocha caught up in several legal cases
This announcement comes as Raúl Rocha Cantú himself faces several legal cases that extend far beyond his conflicts with Nawat. In the United States, the sale of his indirect stake in Miss Universe is the subject of a dispute . The Malaysian company Tema Inovasi reached an agreement in September 2025 to acquire 100% of Legacy Holding Group USA for $25 million , of which $9 million was paid to Rocha as an initial tranche. Arbitration proceedings were subsequently initiated regarding the execution of the agreement and the transfer of shares. The case was also brought before the Delaware Court of Chancery in 2026.
These difficulties come on top of the numerous scandals and controversies now surrounding Raúl Rocha and Miss Universe . In this climate, seeing his team use a Miss Universe-branded communication to attack Nawat and threaten Thailand's participation, before the text disappeared, reinforces questions about the governance and methods of Rocha's team.
This offensive against Nawat is all the more delicate given that Raúl Rocha Cantú is himself wanted by Mexican authorities in an investigation focusing on organized crime, money laundering, arms trafficking, and illegal fuel trafficking . Raúl Rocha is specifically wanted by Mexican authorities for money laundering and his alleged links to criminal networks.
The situation has already had very serious consequences: his bank accounts have been frozen by the Mexican anti-money laundering unit . Another investigation is also looking into alleged money laundering operations related to a 745,6 million peso contract concluded with Pemex.
In this particularly serious legal context, seeing Rocha's team use Miss Universe's communication to attack Nawat and threaten Thailand, before deleting their own press release, appears all the more problematic.
Nawat excluded from a meeting, Rocha's team takes responsibility without embarrassment
The affair originated from a disagreement over the National Directors' Town Hall on September 2nd. A statement published on the historical website missuniverse.com claimed that more than ten national directors had been excluded from the meeting and described the situation as "unprofessional".
Rocha's team responded by disputing this figure. But they primarily confirmed one crucial point: Nawat Itsaragrisil and representatives of Miss Universe Thailand were indeed deliberately barred from the meeting. To justify this decision, the statement cited "unfounded personal attacks directed against the Organization and its leadership ." The message was therefore clear: Nawat's public criticism of Raúl Rocha's leadership was used to justify her exclusion.
In recent months, the Thai leader has indeed made a series of damning revelations against Raúl Rocha, even going so far as to declare: "If I speak, Puerto Rico will tremble; I still have much to say. "
Thailand held hostage by Raúl Rocha ?
Even more problematic, the statement didn't stop at Nawat's personal case. Rocha's team also announced that they were evaluating Miss Universe Thailand's participation in Miss Universe 2026 , to be held in November in Puerto Rico.
No definitive exclusion of the Thai candidate has been announced. But publicly threatening this raises an embarrassing question for Rocha: should a national candidate risk suffering the consequences of her lack of composure in the face of revelations against him?
The statement published on missuniverse.com defends precisely the opposite principle: no national director or contestant should be advantaged or disadvantaged because of personal relationships, regional affiliation, or her position in a dispute concerning the organization.
Nawat had already called for caution regarding Miss Universe 2026 in Puerto Rico , amid increasingly virulent criticism of the current management.
Raúl Rocha claims an authority that is contested.
The press release went even further, stating that the new website missuniverseorg.com was now the only official channel authorized to speak on behalf of Miss Universe . This statement is far from insignificant, given that Rocha's team lost control of the historic missuniverse.com website before launching the new domain.
Miss Universe.com has existed since 1995 and continues to publish press releases. Miss Universe East primarily contests Rocha's team's right to claim sole representation of the organization, asserting that the structure is based on a 50/50 partnership between MU East and MU West . Its response is categorical: "MU West does not have the unilateral authority to speak on behalf of, commit, or represent the Organization as a whole."
In other words, the problem goes far beyond a battle of websites: Rocha's team presents itself as the sole authority on Miss Universe, while this quality is directly contested.
"Why did you delete it?"
Ultimately, it was the disappearance of the press release that put Rocha's team in the most uncomfortable position. After publicly attacking Nawat, acknowledging his exclusion, and mentioning Thailand's participation, the text was deleted . Nawat, however, had taken precautions: "Why did you delete it? It's too late. We've already saved everything as evidence." He didn't specify in what potential legal proceedings this material might be used. But the document did exist and was preserved before its disappearance.
This episode lends further weight to Nawat's repeated criticisms of the Miss Universe organization. Following the controversies surrounding the official website and his accusations against Rocha's team over the past several weeks, it was Rocha herself who published a particularly aggressive document before removing it . And in attempting to publicly weaken Nawat, the opposite occurred.
