The Miss Universe 2025 competitors has taken one other dramatic flip after one of many judges for this 12 months’s pageant abruptly give up three days earlier than the occasion this week, alleging that the 30 finalists have been pre-selected by an “impromptu jury.”
On Tuesday, Omar Harfouch shared the information to his Instagram tales, asserting his withdrawal and expressing his “profound confusion and concern” in regards to the 30 finalists.
“As I Jury member of Miss Universe, I want to specific my profound confusion and concern after discovering, by way of social media, that an impromptu jury has been shaped to pick the 30 finalists from among the many 136 collaborating international locations, with out the presence of any of the actual 8 members of the jury, together with me, and that the outcomes of this choice are presently being saved secret,” Harfouch started.
He stated that in line with info circulating on-line, the non-official jury was “composed of people with a big potential battle of curiosity resulting from some private relationships with among the Miss Universe contestants, together with the particular person chargeable for counting the votes and managing the outcomes, which constitutes an extra battle of curiosity.”
Harfouch then claimed he spoke with the Miss Universe committee about his disapproval of the preliminary choice, which he says was “performed with out the presence of the eight official judges, together with myself.”
“They rushed to publish a listing of names related to the choice on their Instagram web page, with out specifying the function performed by these people, creating even larger confusion,” he added.
A screenshot of Omar Harfouch’s Instagram Tales,.
@OmarHarfouch / Instagram
Following a “disrespectful dialog with Raul Rocha,” the Miss Universe group’s president, in regards to the “lack of transparency within the Miss Universe voting course of,” Harfouch determined to resign from the jury and “refuse to be a part of this charade.”
“I may even not be taking part in the music I composed for the occasion,” he added.
A screenshot of Omar Harfouch’s Instagram Tales,.
@OmarHarfouch / Instagram
Miss Universe Group’s response to the claims
The Miss Universe Group (MUO) issued a press release shared to Instagram following Harfouch’s allegations in opposition to the pageant.
“In mild of current public statements and social media posts, the Miss Universe Group considers it essential to make clear sure inaccuracies relating to the Past the Crown Program and the official judging processes of the 74th Miss Universe competitors,” the assertion started.
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“On November 17, the Miss Universe Group publicly launched the official choice committee of the Past the Crown Program, an impartial social impression initiative designed to advertise management, service, schooling, well being, inclusion and significant help for charitable causes. This system operates totally individually from the Miss Universe competitors and from the official judging panel.”
The MUO stated Harfouch’s revealed statements “incorrectly steered that an unauthorized or impromptu jury had been shaped and that the official judges had been excluded from the number of finalists.”
“The Miss Universe Group firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no exterior group has been licensed to judge delegates or choose finalists, and that every one competitors evaluations proceed to comply with the established, clear and supervised MUO protocols,” the group stated.
“Given Mr. Harfuch’s [sic] expressed confusion, his public mischaracterization of this system, and his acknowledged want to not take part, the Miss Universe Group respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel.”
The MUO stated that “efficient instantly,” Harfouch is prohibited from “utilizing, displaying, referencing or associating himself with any Miss Universe logos, service marks, logos, titles or registered properties, in any format, medium or communication, whether or not digital, written or verbal.”
The group threatened to take authorized motion in opposition to Harfouch if he continued to affiliate himself with the pageant.
After the assertion was posted, Harfouch shared it to his Instagram tales, writing, “The Miss Universe comitte[sic] simply recognised that they’d finished a pre number of 30 contestants with out the data of the official membre[sic] of the jury. Wich[sic] is completely hilarious!”
Harfouch’s response to MUO’s risk of authorized motion
In a follow-up publish following MUO’s risk of authorized motion, Harfouch stated he had “formally consulted one of many main legislation corporations in New York to look at the potential submitting of a proper criticism earlier than the Workplace of the Legal professional Basic in opposition to the Miss Universe Group.”
“The problems below assessment embody, however are usually not restricted to: fraud, abuse of energy, corruption, deception, breach of contract, battle of curiosity, and emotional and reputational damages,” he added in his assertion.
Harfouch stated the “secret and illegitimate vote” was held to find out “the Prime 30 contestants earlier than the arrival of the official jury.”
“This vote was performed by people who are usually not acknowledged members of the official judging panel, together with a minimum of one particular person with a *private romantic relationship with a contestant* — a truth which constitutes a transparent and critical *battle of curiosity* and will qualify as *collusion* and *manipulation of a global competitors*,” he added.
“Along with the structural fraud, I used to be misled and publicly used to provide credibility to an election course of that was already compromised. The emotional trauma, reputational harm, and the numerous time and power I invested — particularly in composing authentic music for an occasion that violated basic rules of equity — are usually not negligible and will likely be included within the authorized claims for *damages and compensation*.”
Harfouch went on to “formally warn all previous and present judges” that “from this second ahead, participation within the closing jury of Miss Universe might legally implicate them in an act of global-scale fraud.”
“Now that this info has been made public, their involvement could possibly be thought of as *knowingly collaborating in a manipulated consequence*, and will carry *oblique authorized penalties,” he added.
A second choose resigns hours after Harfouch
A second Miss Universe choose resigned days forward of the pageant, set to start on Friday.
French soccer supervisor and former soccer participant Claude Makélélé took to Instagram to announce he would not be capable of take part as a choose.
“It’s with remorse that I have to announce that I received’t be capable of attend the Miss Universe 2025 occasion resulting from unexpected private causes,” Makélélé wrote.
“This was a tough choices, as I maintain Miss Universe within the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, variety, and excellence — values I’ve all the time championed all through my profession.”
Makélélé apologized to the group, the contestants and everybody concerned.
“I hope to have the ability to contribute sooner or later below higher circumstances. Thanks in your understanding and help,” he added.
The information of Harfouch and Makélélé’s departures comes two weeks after Nawat Itsaragrisil, govt director of the MUO, reprimanded Miss Universe Mexico, Fátima Bosch, throughout a sashing ceremony, inflicting her to face up and depart the room.
A number of contestants, together with the present reigning Miss Universe, Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig, Miss Universe Canada Jaime VandenBerg and Miss Universe Iraq Hanin Al Qoreishy, adopted Bosch out of the room in solidarity.
The MUO issued a press release following the incident and Rocha stated he wouldn’t enable “the values of respect and dignity of ladies to be violated.”
Rocha stated he gave the instruction to postpone the sashing ceremony, “and the place this unlucky incident passed off, exactly to keep away from any interplay with Nawat, who, in his fixed want to be the centre of consideration, triggered this incident.”
He additionally restricted Itsaragrisil’s participation within the occasions which might be a part of the 74th Miss Universe competitors, “limiting it as a lot as doable or eliminating it totally.”
