BANGKOK, Nov 19: A judge for the Miss Universe pageant resigned three days before the competition, alleging that a “secret committee” had pre-selected 30 finalists without the involvement of the official judging panel.

Composer Omar Harfouch announced his withdrawal on Tuesday through a series of Instagram Stories, saying he was “confused and concerned” after learning via social media that an “impromptu jury” had been asked to choose 30 finalists out of the 136 participating countries ahead of Friday’s event in Bangkok.

Harfouch said the results of this early selection were being kept confidential and claimed none of the eight official judges were part of the process. He alleged the group was “composed of individuals with a significant potential conflict of interest,” including people with personal ties to contestants and an individual responsible for counting votes and managing results.

The musician said he raised concerns with pageant officials about what he described as a lack of transparency. He said Miss Universe later published “a list of names associated with the selection” on Instagram without clarifying their roles. Harfouch added he would not serve as a judge and would also withdraw the music he had composed for the event.

“After having a disrespectful conversation with [Miss Universe CEO] Raul Rocha about the lack of transparency in the Miss Universe voting process, I decided to resign from the jury and refuse to be part of this charade,” he wrote.

In a statement posted shortly after, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) rejected Harfouch’s claims, saying no unauthorized judging group had been formed and that all evaluations were conducted under established and supervised MUO protocols.

“Given Mr. Harfouch’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 said. MUO added that Harfouch is no longer permitted to reference or associate himself with Miss Universe trademarks or properties in any medium.

The organization urged the public and media to rely solely on verified MUO communications and voiced support for contestants preparing for the competition.

Meanwhile, a Miss Universe contestant, who requested anonymity, told PEOPLE that rumors of a covert top-30 list were “heartbreaking,” saying many contestants learned about the alleged pre-selection through social media after stepping off the rehearsal stage.

She said the reported process violated conflict-of-interest principles and undermined months of preparation. “How can you preach ‘The Power of Love’ while operating in secrecy?” she asked, referring to this year’s pageant theme.

Contestants, she added, had sacrificed jobs, endured illness and exhaustion, and trained for a year under the belief that the competition would uphold fairness and transparency.

“If the organization wants to stand for empowerment, then honesty, fairness, and accountability must come before crowns and cameras,” she said, thanking Harfouch for “standing up for integrity when the organization would not.”