The Miss Universe 2025 pageant has been plunged into crisis just three days before its grand finale, as two judges have resigned, with one levelling explosive allegations of “fraud,” “corruption,” and a “secret vote” that manipulated the competition.
The turmoil erupted when Omar Harfouch, a Lebanese-French composer and official judge, announced his resignation from the eight-member judging panel in a detailed Instagram post on Tuesday.
He stated that he has engaged a New York law firm to explore filing a formal complaint, alleging that a “secret and illegitimate vote” was conducted to determine the top 30 contestants before the official jury’s arrival.
Harfouch claimed the unauthorised vote involved individuals who were not official judges, including at least one person with a “personal romantic relationship with a contestant” — a situation he described as a “clear and serious conflict of interest” and potential “manipulation of an international competition”.
He accused the organisation of using his involvement to lend credibility to a “compromised” process, causing him “emotional trauma and reputational damage”.
Harfouch also issued a stark warning to remaining judges, suggesting their continued participation could legally implicate them in a “global-scale fraud”.
“I, Omar Harfouch, resigning member of Miss Univers international Jury, wish to inform the public that I have officially consulted one of the leading law firms in New York to examine the potential filing of a formal complaint before the Office of the Attorney General against the Miss Universe Organization,” he wrote.
“The issues under review include, but are not limited to: fraud, abuse of power, corruption, deception, breach of contract, conflict of interest, and emotional and reputational damages.
“It has come to light that a secret and illegitimate vote was held to determine the Top 30 contestants before the arrival of the official jury.
“This vote was conducted by individuals who are not recognized members of the official judging panel, including at least one person with a *personal romantic relationship with a contestant* – a fact which constitutes a clear and serious *conflict of interest* and may qualify as *collusion* and *manipulation of an international competition*.
”In addition to the structural fraud, I was misled and publicly used to give credibility to an election process that was already compromised.
“The emotional trauma, reputational damage, and the significant time and energy I invested -especially in composing original music for an event that violated fundamental principles of fairness are not negligible and will be included in the legal claims for *damages and compensation*.
“Furthermore, I wish to *formally warn all past and current judges*, particularly those who replaced those of us who resigned, that *from this moment forward*, participation in the final jury of Miss Universe may legally implicate them in an act of global-scale fraud.
“Now that this information has been made public, their involvement could be considered as *knowingly participating in a manipulated outcome*, and may carry *indirect legal consequences*.”
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In a separate announcement via Instagram, former French footballer Claude Makélélé also withdrew from the judging panel, citing “unforeseen personal reasons”.
He described the decision as difficult and expressed his regard for the competition’s values.
“It is with regret that I must announce that I won’t be able to attend the Miss Universe 2025 event due to unforeseen personal reasons,” he wrote.
“This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard. The platform represents empowerment, diversity, and excellence – values I have always championed throughout my career.
“I sincerely apologise to the organisation, the contestants, and everyone involved, and I hope to be able to contribute in the future under better circumstances. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
Reacting to Harfouch’s claims in a statement, Miss Universe organisers said the “secret jury” he mentioned is actually the selection committee of the “Beyond the Crown Program”.
They explained that the programme is an independent social impact initiative, separate from the Miss Universe competition and the official judging panel.
They also accused Harfouch of making a “public mischaracterisation of the programme” by implying an unauthorised jury was formed.
“On November 17, the Miss Universe Organization publicly released the official selection committee of the Beyond the Crown Program, an independent social impact initiative designed to promote leadership, service, education, health, inclusion, and meaningful support for charitable causes. This program operates entirely separately from the Miss Universe competition and from the official judging panel,” the statement reads in part.
“Following this announcement, Mr. Omar Harfuch, who had previously agreed to serve as one of the eight official members of the Miss Universe judging panel, published a statement expressing confusion and claiming lack of understanding regarding the scope and nature of a social impact program such as Beyond the Crown.
“His comments incorrectly suggested that an unauthorized or impromptu jury had been formed and that the official judges had been excluded from the selection of finalists.
“The Miss Universe Organization firmly clarifies that no impromptu jury has been created, that no external group has been authorized to evaluate delegates or select finalists, and that all competition evaluations continue to follow the established, transparent, and supervised MUO protocols.
“Given Mr. Harfuch’s expressed confusion, his public mischaracterization of the program, and his stated desire not to participate, the Miss Universe Organization respectfully acknowledges his withdrawal from the official judging panel.”
The statement further prohibited the composer from using, displaying, or referencing any Miss Universe trademarks, logos, titles, or registered properties in any form or medium.
It warned that any continued use would be considered unauthorised and subject to legal action, while reaffirming that all procedures follow the organisation’s standards of transparency and fairness.
“Effective immediately, Mr. Harfuch is prohibited from using, displaying, referencing. or associating himself with any Miss Universe trademarks, service marks, logos, titles, or registered properties, in any format, medium, or communication, whether digital, written, or verbal,” the statement added.
“Any continued use will be considered unauthorized and subject to the applicable legal actions and protections afforded to the Miss Universe Organization.
“All procedures remain governed by the organization’s highest standards of transparency, integrity, and fairness.”
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The resignation controversy follows a walkout by several contestants in solidarity with Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, after Nawat Itsaragrisil, the director of Miss Universe Thailand, scolded her for missing certain promotional activities.
This year’s contest, hosted by Thailand, is set to conclude on November 21 in Bangkok.
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