A former Miss Universe judge has alleged that this year’s pageant was rigged, claiming the winner was predetermined due to business interests involving the event’s owner and the family of Miss Mexico, newly crowned Fatima Bosch.
Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch, who resigned from the judging panel three days before the final, took to social media to denounce the result, referring to Bosch as a “fake Miss Universe,” the Manila Times reported.
“Miss Mexico is a fake winner,” Harfouch wrote on Instagram. “I declared yesterday exclusively on HBO, 24 hours before the final, that Miss Mexico would win because Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father.”
He further claimed that Rocha and his son approached him a week earlier in Dubai, asking him to vote for Bosch, saying her win would be beneficial for their business. Harfouch said that additional details will be revealed in an HBO feature scheduled for May 2026.
His accusations follow an earlier statement made on Wednesday, where he claimed he withdrew after discovering an alleged “impromptu jury” that had supposedly pre-selected 30 contestants before the preliminary rounds.
According to Harfouch, this unofficial group — which he claims included individuals with personal ties to certain contestants — secretly chose finalists from 136 delegates, excluding the official judging panel from the process. He also alleged a conflict of interest involving the person responsible for vote counting.
In response, the Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) issued a statement rejecting the allegations, stating that Harfouch had misunderstood the Beyond the Crown initiative, which they described as separate from the main competition.
“His comments incorrectly suggested that an unauthorised jury had been formed and that official judges were excluded,” MUO clarified, stressing that all evaluations adhere to transparent and supervised protocols, with no outside influence permitted.
MUO acknowledged Harfouch’s resignation but emphasised that he is no longer authorised to reference Miss Universe branding and warned of possible legal action for misuse.
Harfouch later said he has consulted a New York-based law firm over potential legal proceedings against MUO. The organisation has not issued any further statements regarding his latest claims.
