The final round of the 74th Miss Universe pageant was held on 21 November in Thailand. This year, the crown went to Fatima Bash of Mexico. However, Lebanese-French composer and one of the judges, Omar Harfouch, has described her as a ‘fake winner’.
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He alleged that Fatima Bash was made the winner due to commercial interests.
It is notable that two days before the final, Omar Harfouch withdrew from the judging panel, citing allegations of manipulation. At that time, he claimed that the 74th edition of Miss Universe had issues of favouritism and that some contestants had personal ties with certain jury members.
According to a report by NDTV, Omar posted on social media after Fatima’s victory, raising new accusations. He claimed that Raul Rocha, the owner of the Miss Universe organisation, had predetermined Fatima’s win to benefit his business interests.
Omar Harfouch further asserted that 24 hours before the final, he had informed American media outlet HBO that Miss Mexico would win.
He later added, ‘Miss Mexico is a fake winner. Fatima Bash’s father has business ties with Raul Rocha, the owner of Miss Universe.’
He also alleged, ‘A week earlier in Dubai, Raul Rocha and his son pressured me to vote for Fatima. They said her winning would benefit their business.’
Meanwhile, Raul Rocha, the President of the Miss Universe Organisation, responded to these allegations through a video message, completely denying them.
He claimed that Omar Harfouch did not resign; rather, he was removed from the judging panel due to a lack of transparency in his evaluation process. He has also been barred from future involvement with the brand.
SS