A beauty pageant in Fiji has been embroiled in scandal after the winner was controversially stripped of her title.
Manshika Prasad, 24, was crowned Miss Fiji on August 30 after winning her title in a 4-3 vote by the pageant’s judges. But MUF, in a statement seen by MailOnline, said a “controversial decision” by judges at the finalists’ event resulted in Prasad being “incorrectly awarded” the crown.
Officials claimed that “correct procedures” were not followed during the pageant and that Prasad had been declared the winner in a “rigged vote” that favoured an “Indian Fijian” winner because it would financially benefit the event organiser.
MUF then revealed that runner-up Nadine Roberts, a 30-year-old model and property developer from Sydney, Australia, will compete for the Miss Universe title as Miss Fiji in Mexico in November.
Prasad issued a statement saying he was taking a break from social media and claimed there was “a lot that the public didn’t know.” Roberts also issued a statement saying “we are all affected by this” and thanked MUF for its “quick action” in the matter.
Manshika Prasad, 24 (centre), was crowned Miss Fiji on August 30 after winning her title in a 4-3 vote by the pageant’s judges. However, the Miss Universe Fiji (MUF) pageant, in a statement seen by MailOnline, said a “controversial decision” by judges at the finalists’ event resulted in Prasad being “incorrectly awarded” the crown.
Officials claimed that “correct procedures” were not followed during the pageant and that Prasad (pictured) had been declared the winner in a “rigged vote” that favoured an “Indian Fijian” winner because it would financially benefit the event organiser.
MBA student Prasad was voted the overwhelming winner of the Miss Fiji title by a panel of seven judges, including one who was a representative of Lux Property Bali, the company that bought the license to run the pageant. FBC Fiji News reported.
The other six judges were reportedly confirmed independently and originally introduced on the pageant’s official website.
But the MUF organisation later said Prasad was incorrectly awarded the winner and instead proclaimed Roberts Miss Fiji 2024.
MUF alleged that the organiser had not followed correct procedures when it allegedly failed to count the licensees’ votes or consult them in the event of a tie.
In his statementReviewed by MailOnline, MUF stated that contracted organiser Grant Dwyer “wanted an Indian winner from Fiji to take advantage of potential global trade deals”.
The organisation alleged that Dwyer deliberately failed to count the licensees’ votes “to ensure that the judges only awarded the victory to the Fijian Indian contestant, rather than a local, non-Indian Fijian contestant”.
MUF said there were a total of eight votes that should have been counted, seven from the panel of judges, which included a local representative of Lux Property, and one from the licensee.
“The contracted organizer did not count the votes of the licensees and did not then consult, in the event of a tie, who has the determining vote to decide who is the best to represent MUF in the final in Mexico, in November of this year,” the statement continued.
‘Despite concerns raised that evening by the local licensee representative who was present, that the licensee’s vote should be counted and then consulted in the event of a tie, to then decide who the winner is.
‘The hired organizer was quick to announce his favored candidate as the winner that night, creating unnecessary confusion and controversy.’
However, Dwyer has disputed the claim, arguing that Prasad was “fairly judged” and that her coronation “has substance”.
MUF then revealed that runner-up Nadine Roberts (pictured), a 30-year-old model and property developer from Sydney, Australia, will compete for the Miss Universe title as Miss Fiji in Mexico in November.
Prasad (front right) is pictured after being crowned Miss Universe Fiji. Roberts (left) is pictured with her runner-up sash.
But the MUF organisation later said Prasad was incorrectly awarded the title and instead proclaimed Roberts (pictured) as Miss Fiji 2024.
Some of the judges also questioned the organisation’s decision, saying Prasad was the “clear winner” of the contest.
The panel was asked to write down the name of who they thought should be crowned Miss Fiji 2024 as the pageant came to a close on Friday, August 30.
Jennifer Chan, a US-based TV host, style and beauty expert and one of the judges, said: BBC that she was “100 percent sure” that Prasad was the best candidate to represent Fiji at the Miss Universe pageant.
She also argued that “it’s just disgusting to even mention race” in determining the winner of the competition and claims that “it was never, ever, ever mentioned by any of the judges.”
Recalling the final night of the competition, Chan said: “At this stage, Manshika was the clear winner. Not only because of what she presented on stage, but also because of how she interacted with the other girls, how she photographed and how she modelled.”
But when Prasad took to the stage, wearing her sparkling tiara, after being crowned, the judges realised something “was off”, Chan alleges.
He recalled how Roberts, who was to Prasad’s right with his back-row band, was “seething with anger” at the results.
Chan says she asked herself “how can anyone feel so entitled to win?” and assumed that Roberts, an “experienced” pageant contestant, should know that when it comes to competitions “sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
He also found it strange that on Saturday, despite Prasad having taken a boat trip to celebrate with the judges, there had been no official confirmation of his victory.
In addition, Judge Riri Febriani, who had represented Lux Projects, was absent from the trip.
“I remember thinking it was weird,” Melissa White, one of the contest judges who had roomed with Febriani, told the broadcaster. “But she just said she had a lot of work to do and needed to talk to her boss.”
One judge said she was “100 per cent sure” that Prasad, pictured during her crowning, was the best candidate to represent Fiji at the Miss Universe pageant.
The judge also recalled how Roberts (pictured) was “seething with anger” when the results came in and Prasad was crowned Miss Fiji.
Febriani reportedly claimed he couldn’t go on the trip because he needed to rest, but White alleges he was receiving phone calls and messages from a man named “Jamie.”
White further alleged that “Jamie” was actually Australian businessman Jamie McIntyre, who has been married to Roberts since 2022.
In 2016, McIntyre was banned from doing business in Australia for a decade due to his involvement in a property investment scheme that cost investors more than A$7 million (£3.6 million or US$4.7 million).
Even though Febriani had been a judge on the panel, Lux Projects was reportedly unhappy with the vote and two days after the coronation, in a press release, said that Dwyer had “not counted” the vote that should have been given to the licensee.
The firm said it would have voted for Roberts, making the result 4-4. It also claimed that as a licensee, it had the “deciding vote,” making Roberts the winner of the race.
McIntyre is also alleged to have been on the phone during calls between Roberts and Dwyer.
“We were never informed that there was an eighth judge or that there were any absent judges,” Chan told the BBC. “It wasn’t on the website or anywhere. Also, how can you vote in a contest if you’re not even there?”
McIntyre’s representatives, in a statement to the broadcaster, claimed that allegations that he was involved in the officiating dispute were a “conspiracy theory”. However, they admitted that he had “advised the licensee”.
“(Mr McIntyre) is not a director or shareholder of MUF’s licensee company, but has acted as an advisor, as he is a shareholder in associated companies,” the representatives added.
They further claim that the allegation that Dwyer pressured the panel to declare Prasad the winner because of her race is “undermined” by the fact that Dwyer allegedly voted for Roberts.
The BBC says the Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) is “extremely unhappy with developments in Fiji and, having established the facts, has worked hard to reinstate Ms Prasad (pictured on August 30) as queen of the island”.
The multi-million dollar Miss Universe Organization (MUO) operates under a franchise system, meaning pageant participants must purchase a license allowing them to use the company’s brand and sell tickets to Miss Universe-branded events.
Licences are expensive, so it is often difficult for small countries to find a person or company willing to fund the licence for a national pageant. This expense is understood to be the reason why Fiji has not fielded a Miss Universe contestant in 43 years.
The MUO did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment, but the broadcaster alleges that the company is “extremely unhappy with developments in Fiji and, having established the facts, worked hard to reinstate Ms Prasad as queen of the island”.
MailOnline has contacted MUF, MUO, Lux Property, Prasad and Roberts for comment.