Miss Universe judge quits, alleging ‘secret committee’ chose finalists in advance

Composer Omar Harfouch announced he would quit the Miss Universe final judging panel due to a lack of transparency in the scoring process on Tuesday evening.
He said on Instagram that he was alarmed after learning, via social media, that an "impromptu jury" had been asked to select 30 finalists in advance for Friday’s Miss Universe event in Bangkok, even before contestants from 136 countries participate in the preliminary round, according to Independent.

"The results of this selection are currently being kept secret," one of his posts read.

He claimed that none of the "real" eight judges were part of this jury and that it was "composed of individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest due to some

relationships with some of the Miss Universe contestants, including the person responsible for counting the votes and managing the results, which constitutes a further conflict of interest."

"After having a disrespectful conversation with

Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, l decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade.

"I will also not be playing the music composed for the event," he wrote.

The Miss Universe Organization later released a statement on its Instagram account in response to Harfouch’s posts and explained how the judging process is conducted.

"Given

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," it wrote.

It also said he was no longer allowed to "display, reference, or associate himself with any Miss Universe trademarks, service marks, logos, titles, or registered properties, in any format, medium, or communication, whether digital, written, or verbal."

In a later interview with People magazine, Harfouch said, "We are eight judges supposed to come and to choose only between 30 contestants and not 136. When I signed my contract as a judge, it was to judge everyone...I cannot play with the destiny of young girls."