BANGKOK, THAILAND – Days before the new Miss Universe was to be crowned in Bangkok, serious cheating allegations shook the pageant as two international jurors resigned.
Composer alleges “opaque charade”
Lebanese-French composer Omar Harfouch triggered the scandal on 18 November when he announced on Instagram that he was stepping down from the jury and accused organizers of an
“opaque charade.”
said Omar Harfouch, juror and composer.
His most explosive claim was that a secret jury had already selected the 30 finalists from 136 contestants without the knowledge of the official panel.
“An improvised jury was formed to select 30 finalists from 136 contestants,”
said Omar Harfouch, juror and composer.
Football great Makélélé also withdraws
Only hours later, French football legend Claude Makélélé followed suit and also announced his withdrawal via Instagram.
He cited
“unforeseen personal reasons”
said Claude Makélélé, former footballer and juror, avoiding any reference to his colleague’s accusations.
“This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard,”
said Claude Makélélé, former footballer and juror.
Miss Universe Organization rejects accusations
The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) responded immediately and firmly denied all allegations.
“All competition scoring continues to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols,”
said Miss Universe Organization, in a statement.
The organization accused Harfouch of misrepresenting the program in public and said the list he cited belonged to a separate social-impact initiative.
Owner controversy preceded latest scandal
The uproar came only weeks after another incident involving co-owner Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai businessman.
He had publicly criticized Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, for missing marketing appointments, prompting several contestants to stage a protest walkout.
Nawat later apologized, and MUO president Raul Rocha Cantu assured that no form of humiliation would be tolerated.
Flagship pageant under pressure
Miss Universe, founded in 1952 by a Californian swimwear company, had struggled for years with declining public interest.
The 74th edition, set for 21 November at Impact Muang Thong Thani, had been planned as a dazzling highlight but was instead overshadowed by fraud allegations.
For Thailand as host, the scandal was a bitter disappointment and cast dark shadows over the credibility of the entire competition.