Miss Universe Puerto Rico Funds Allegation Reaches the Senate Over US$4.5 Million Paid
PUERTO RICO · GOVERNMENT
Key Facts
- —The allegation Representatives of the Miss Universe Thailand franchise owner told senators the government paid into accounts not belonging to the Miss Universe organisation.
- —Where it was made At the Senate Tourism Commission in San Juan.
- —The contract An initial US$9 million agreement, adjusted to US$8.7 million.
- —What has been paid US$4.5 million has been disbursed, with US$4.2 million pending.
- —The projection The government has projected returns of up to US$20 million.
- —The government’s answer The tourism company says authorised Miss Universe representatives signed the contract and its amendments.
- —The pageant The event is still scheduled for 24 November at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan.
The Miss Universe Puerto Rico funds question is not whether the money was paid. It is whose account it landed in.
What Was Alleged
Representatives of Nawat Itsaragrisil, who owns the Miss Universe Thailand franchise, made the allegation at a Senate Tourism Commission hearing in Puerto Rico. They said the territorial government deposited money into bank accounts that do not belong to the Miss Universe organisation.
The hearing took place in San Juan. The allegation concerns public funds committed to bringing the pageant to the island.
The contract began as a US$9 million agreement and was adjusted to US$8.7 million. Of that, US$4.5 million has been disbursed and US$4.2 million remains pending.
The government has projected returns of up to US$20 million from hosting the event, which is the case on which the spending was justified.
Puerto Rico uses the United States dollar, so these are the actual figures rather than conversions.
What the Government Says
The Compañía de Turismo, Puerto Rico’s tourism company, rejects the framing. It says authorised representatives of Miss Universe signed the contract and its amendments.
Its position is that internal disputes within the Miss Universe organisation do not affect the government’s contractual relationship. In other words, it paid the party it contracted with.
The agency has also said it will hand over evidence of the expenditure, and has publicly defended the contract on the basis that the money has been used.
That is a narrower defence than it first appears. It answers the question of whether the government dealt with an authorised signatory, not the question of where the funds ultimately went.
Senators have not treated the matter as closed. Marissa Jiménez Santoni told the hearing that they were not going to let money get lost, and that public funds should not be lost.
The Senate president, Thomas Rivera Schatz, has warned that the controversy will require the government’s attention.
Why a Pageant Contract Is a Public Finance Question
Hosting an international event is a standard tourism promotion instrument across the Caribbean, and it is usually paid for from public funds against a projected return.
The projection is the weak point of the instrument. A figure like US$20 million in expected returns is a forecast made by the party spending the money, and it is rarely audited afterwards against what actually arrived.
That is why the disbursement schedule matters. More than half the contract value has already been paid, which limits the leverage available if the relationship sours.
Puerto Rico’s public finances carry more scrutiny than most, after a decade of debt restructuring and federal oversight. Discretionary tourism spending draws attention here that it would not draw elsewhere.
The dispute inside the Miss Universe organisation is not Puerto Rico’s to resolve. What is Puerto Rico’s to resolve is whether its own payments went where the contract said they should.
The franchise structure is what makes that hard to see from outside. National franchises are licensed separately, and money can move between related entities without an outside party being able to tell which is which.
That is precisely why the documentation question is the whole question. A signature from an authorised representative and a payment into the organisation’s own account are two different things to evidence.
What It Means If You Live in Puerto Rico
For residents the question is narrow and concrete. US$4.5 million of public money has gone out, and a legislative commission is now asking who received it.
The event itself is not in doubt. The pageant is still scheduled for 24 November at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, and Jenniffer Barreto is the island’s representative.
For anyone in tourism or hospitality, that date still stands as a commercial event. Hotel and event bookings around it are unaffected by the hearing.
The wider stake is procedural. Whether the tourism company can document where its payments landed will set the standard for the next event contract.
None of this has been established as wrongdoing. It is an allegation made at a hearing, answered by the agency, and now in front of legislators.
What Is Not Settled
No audit finding has been published, and no investigation by a prosecuting authority has been reported.
The accounts said to have received the money have not been identified publicly in the coverage seen for this piece.
The Miss Universe organisation’s own position on the dispute between its franchise holders has not been set out in the hearing record.
Whether the remaining US$4.2 million will be paid, held or renegotiated has not been stated by the government.
The commission has not announced findings. Its examination of the contracts and the funds is ongoing.
Nor has the government published the contract itself or the payment records. The tourism company has said it will provide evidence of the expenditure, which has not yet appeared in public.
Until it does, the two accounts sit side by side: one says the money went to the wrong accounts, the other says it went to authorised signatories.
The pageant date is the practical deadline. A hearing that runs past 24 November will be examining an event that has already happened and money that has already been spent.
Connected Coverage
- Grupo Frontera Puerto Rico Show Fills the Coliseo on 19 September 2026
- Cost of Living Nassau Bahamas 2026: Where the Bills Bite Hardest
Sources
- Metro Puerto Rico — Alegan que Gobierno de Puerto Rico depositó dinero en cuentas que no pertenecen a Miss Universe
- El Nuevo Día — Compañía de Turismo defiende el contrato de Miss Universe 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the allegation?
Representatives of the Miss Universe Thailand franchise owner told a Senate Tourism Commission hearing that Puerto Rico’s government deposited funds into bank accounts that do not belong to the Miss Universe organisation.
How much money is involved?
The contract began at US$9 million and was adjusted to US$8.7 million. US$4.5 million has been disbursed and US$4.2 million is pending. The government has projected returns of up to US$20 million.
What does the government say?
The Compañía de Turismo says authorised Miss Universe representatives signed the contract and its amendments, and that internal disputes within the organisation do not affect the government’s contractual relationship.
Is the pageant still going ahead?
Yes. It is scheduled for 24 November 2026 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, with Jenniffer Barreto representing the island.
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