Miss Universe Organization president Raúl Rocha Cantú (left) and former judge Omar Harfouch (right) appear in separate photos. Rocha Cantú has denied Harfouch’s allegations of irregularities in the 2025 pageant, while Harfouch maintains his claims after resigning days before the finals. (Photo Sources: Miss Universe Organization and Omarharfouch. com) Miss Universe leaders and former judge Omar Harfouch issue conflicting explanations over alleged irregularities in the 2025 pageant, which MUO firmly denies BANGKOK The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) and former judge Omar Harfouch have issued conflicting accounts of events behind the Miss Universe 2025 competition, after Harfouch resigned days before the finals and publicly alleged that the selection process leading to Fátima Bosch’s victory lacked transparency. MUO has strongly denied the allegations and has not announced any independent review. Harfouch, a Lebanese-French businessman, pianist, and political activist known for his anti-corruption advocacy, served briefly on the judging panel before stepping down. Harfouch’s allegations In public posts released shortly before the coronation, Harfouch said he resigned after questioning how semifinalists were chosen. He alleges that the Top 30 candidates were “pre-selected” by what he calls an “impromptu jury,” a group he claims operated outside the official panel. He also alleges that some of those involved had personal relationships or affiliations with certain contestants. Harfouch says he raised his concerns directly with MUO leadership, including organization president Raúl Rocha Cantú, and described their exchange as unsatisfactory. He then withdrew from all pageant-related duties, including a planned musical performance. He later described the pageant results as “rigged” and referred to Bosch as a “fake winner.” These remarks reflect Harfouch’s own characterization; he has not released evidence to support the claims, and no outside body has confirmed them. MUO denies allegations and defends its process MUO, led by Rocha Cantú, has categorically rejected Harfouch’s statements. In an official response, the organization said his claims “incorrectly suggested” that an unauthorized committee had chosen semifinalists. MUO stated that all scoring followed established Miss Universe protocols and confirmed that no external group was permitted to select finalists. The organization said Harfouch may have misunderstood “Beyond the Crown,” a social-impact initiative that plays no role in competition scoring. MUO also said Harfouch is no longer authorized to use Miss Universe trademarks following his public allegations. Rocha Cantú has not made additional statements beyond MUO’s official release. The organization maintains that Bosch’s win is legitimate. Other judges raise concerns, though not about rigging Former footballer Claude Makélélé, originally part of the judging roster, withdrew shortly before the finals for personal reasons and has not echoed Harfouch’s claims. Former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova, who served on the final judging panel, wrote online that Thailand’s Praveenar Singh, the first runner-up, was her personal choice. She noted that earlier editions included an onstage independent auditor and expressed interest in restoring that practice. She did not endorse allegations of misconduct. A competition already under scrutiny The 2025 Miss Universe season had drawn major attention even before the dispute. A livestreamed encounter in which Thai pageant figure Nawat Itsaragrisil reprimanded Bosch during a pre-pageant activity led to criticism and a brief walkout by several contestants before Nawat apologized. Separately, Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry was hospitalized after falling from the stage during preliminaries, prompting safety questions. Other contestants faced online harassment or political scrutiny, adding to the heightened tension surrounding this year’s competition. Ownership and leadership shifts Miss Universe is co-owned by JKN Global Group of Thailand and Legacy Holding Group USA, each with a 50 percent stake. JKN Global acquired MUO in 2022 and later sold half of its stake to Legacy Holding, whose principal Raúl Rocha Cantú serves as MUO president. In October 2025, MUO announced Mario Búcaro as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, who stepped down earlier in the year.
https://asianjournal.com/entertainment/miss-universe-leadership-and-ex-judge-in-public-dispute-over-rigging-allegations/
Tag: lebanese-french
Scandal-Plagued Miss Universe Pageant Ends With New Controversy
A contestant who staged a walkout at a pre-pageant event after being publicly berated by an official has been crowned Miss Universe leading some to question if the award was a “make-good” move. Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, was named the winner at a ceremony in Thailand on Friday. Ms. Bosch, a devout Catholic, appeared emotional and made the sign of the cross on stage shortly after being crowned. Thai pageant organizers Nawat Itsaragrisil had confronted Ms. Bosch in front of other contestants at an event a few weeks ago to complain that she wasn’t posting promotional content on her social media. He insulted her and allegedly called her “dumb.” When she defended herself, Mr. Itsaragrisil called security and warned other contestants that they could be disqualified if they supported Ms. Bosch. Ms. Bosch and several contestants left the event anyway and the pageant later condemned Mr. Nawat’s actions and he stepped back from his leadership role for the pageant. Some pageant fans claimed on social media that the drama helped Ms. Bosch win. “That was a mockery,” one commenter wrote. Another wrote, “The fraud of history!” One judge quit the pageant a week ago claiming the event was rigged. The Lebanese-French composer Omar Harfouch is threatening to file a corruption complaint with the New York attorney general’s office claiming a secret vote was held to pre-select 30 finalists without the involvement of the judges. Another judge quit hours later but didn’t mention any possible scandal. Former French soccer star Claude Makelele cited “unforeseen personal reasons” for his abrupt exit. The Miss Universe Organization refuted Mr. Harfouch’s claims but another judge Natelie Glebova said on social media after the event that she would not take part in the competition again unless the pageant returned to using an accounting firm to deliver sealed results. Mr. Harfouch spoke out again after the pageant to reiterate his claims of fraud. “Miss Mexico is a Fake winner,” Mr. Harfouch said in an Instagram post. ” I Omar Harfouch declared yesterday exclusively on the Americain HBO, 24 hours before the Miss Universe final, that Miss Mexico would win-because Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father.” The questions about judging were just the latest incidents to plague the beauty pageant. Miss Jamaica fell offstage during a preliminary evening gown round on Wednesday and was hospitalized for unspecified injuries. Thai police also investigated alleged promotion of online casinos as part of the event, which would be illegal in the country.
https://www.nysun.com/article/scandal-plagued-miss-universe-pageant-ends-with-new-controversy