Jaruvan Maintaka | |
---|---|
Born |
Bangkok, Thailand |
July 5, 1945
Nationality | Thai |
Occupation | Former Auditor-General |
Spouse(s) | Songkiat Maintaka |
Children | Kittiwat Maintaka Khacharin Maintaka Supang Maintaka |
Parent(s) | Tem Yanyong Yanyong Yanyong |
Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka (Thai: จารุวรรณ เมณฑกา; rtgs: Charuwan Menthaka, born 5 July 1945) is a former Auditor-General of Thailand.
She was appointed Auditor-General in December 2001 and refused to leave the office after the Constitutional Court ruled that her nomination was unlawful. She once again refused to give her office up when she reached her pension age and the Council of State ruled that she could no longer stay in the office. Her refusal to leave the office triggered fierce conflicts within the State Audit Office as some of its officials demanded her to respect the law and filed lawsuits against her. The Administrative Court eventually decided in October 2010 that she must vacate office.
Jaruvan is well known for her public criticism of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra. She has also been criticized for nepotism and lack of transparency, hiring her own son as a personal secretary using the state budget, bringing her children on a state-funded official trip, etc. In November 2015, the Criminal Court sentenced her to imprisonment for corruption in office.
Jaruvan was the oldest girl in a family of eight children. She converted to Protestant as a teenager. After attaining a bachelor's degree from the commerce and accountancy faculty at Chulalongkorn University she worked as an auditor. She is married and has three children. She graduated with an MBA from Michigan State University on Thai government scholarship. Upon returning to Thailand, she joined the Thai Office of the Auditor-General.