Jaruvan Maintaka

Jaruvan is 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.

In January 2007, the AEC requested that the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) file a charge against Thaksin and his wife over their 772 million baht purchase of four plots of land from the FIDF in 2003. The charge was based on an alleged violation of Article 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specified that government officials and their spouses were prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. Article 4 of the Act stated that wrongdoers must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF. However, the FIDF is a financial institution under the direct supervision of the Bank of Thailand, which at the time of the transaction Pridiyathorn Devakula was Governor.

On 15 February 2006 The State Audit Commission (SAC) decided to reinstate Jaruvan as Auditor-General. Its unanimous decision came after it received a memo from the Office of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Principal Private Secretary, advising that the situation be resolved. The SAC concluded by unanimous vote that the royal command that appointed Jaruvan was still in effect, despite the Constitution Court's ruling that her appointment was illegal and unconstitutional.

A military coup overthrew the Thaksin government on 19 September 2006. The junta abrogated the 1997 constitution and dissolved most state organizations created as a result of that constitution, but spared the Office of the Auditor-General.

The State Audit Commission later nominated Wisut Montriwat, former deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance, for the post of Auditor-General. The Senate approved the nomination on 10 May 2005. However, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in an unprecedented move, withheld his royal assent. The National Assembly did not hold a vote to overthrow the royal veto. In October 2005 the Senate rejected a motion to reaffirm her appointment, and instead deferred the decision to the SAC.

The appointment of a replacement for Jaruvan was strongly criticized by the powerful Wang Nam Yen faction of the Thai Rak Thai party, especially by MP Pramuan Ruchanaseree and faction leader Sanoh Thienthong. In late 2005, the issue came close to breaking the Wang Nam Yen-faction from the TRT.

The SAC appointed Puangrat Vongpo, her deputy, as acting auditor-general on July 8. When Puangrat retired on Sept 30, 2004, the commission appointed Jerarat Noppawong na Ayutthaya as acting auditor-general, effective from Oct 1.

On 24 June 2003, a petition was filed with the Constitutional Court seeking its ruling on the constitutionality of Jaruvan’s appointment by the Senate. The Constitutional Court ruled on 6 July 2004 that the selection process that led to the appointment of Khunying Jaruvan as auditor-general was unconstitutional. The court noted that the Constitution empowers the SAC to nominate only one person with the highest number of votes from a simple majority, not three as had been the case. The court stopped short of saying if she had to leave her post. However, when the Constitutional Court ruled on July 4, 2002 that the then Election Commission chairman Sirin Thoopklam's election to the body was unconstitutional, the President of the Court noted "When the court rules that the selection [process] was unconstitutional and has to be redone, the court requires the incumbent to leave the post".

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 was one of three nominees for the position of auditor-general in 2001, along with Prathan Dabpet and Nontaphon Nimsomboon. Prathan received 5 votes from the 8-person State Audit Commission (SAC) chairman while Jaruvan received 3 votes. According to the constitution, State Audit Commission chairman Panya Tantiyavarong should have submitted Prathan's nomination to the Senate, as he received the majority of votes.

However, on July 3, 2001, the SAC Chairman submitted a list of all three candidates for the post of auditor-general to the Senate, which later voted to select Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka. For his decision, SAC Chairman Panya Tantiyavarong was later found by the Criminal Court to be guilty of malfeasance and was sentenced to serve three years in jail.

Jaruwan was appointed auditor-general on December 31, 2001 for a term of 5 years. She was responsible for carrying out all audit for government agencies. The questionable nature of her appointment would make her term a controversial one.

Pridiyathorn Devakula defended the FIDF transaction, saying that it was transparent. Chanchai Boonritchaisri, a senior director of the central bank's Legal and Litigation Department, also claimed that the FIDF did not view itself as the damaged party, as the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price higher than its then appraised value (about 700 million baht). The FIDF originally purchased the land from the bankrupt Erawan Trust in 1995 for 2.14 billion; Erawan Trust had seized the land from a defunct borrower for only 103 million baht.

Khun Ying Jaruvan Maintaka (Thai: จารุวรรณ เมณฑกา; RTGS: Charuwan Menthaka, born 5 July 1945) is a former Auditor-General of Thailand.