A fraud scandal has rocked the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant after it emerged that none of the judges apparently voted for the winner.

Jury members have reportedly denounced this year’s contest – held on 16th November – with some saying not a single panellist voted for winner Diana Silva.

The scandal was dismissed by the organisers of the event on 21st November, according to local media.

Questions began to emerge the day after the contest (17th November) regarding whether the result was valid.

Members of the jury reportedly took to social media to claim that “no one” had picked Silva, adding that they could not understand why she received the crown.

The winner goes on to represent Venezuela in the prestigious Miss Universe contest, where the winner scoops USD 100,000 (GBP 84,200) and a chance to break into the movie business.

According to a statement released on the Miss Venezuela website, the jury knew that the vote also included points awarded by a large group of “experts”, professors and members of the production team behind the contest.

The organisers have therefore rejected the fraud allegations as “inaccurate and misrepresented.”

The statement added that the decision reached by the jury, which reportedly did not confirm the result outright, was made “without taking into account the selection process that was explained to them in their first meeting”, with them now accused by the organisers of “trying to tarnish the image” of the contest.

The statement also reportedly said that the accusations have created “an unnecessary and unjustified climate of uncertainty and doubts towards those who were the winning candidates in a fair fight and who deserve all the recognition, support and endorsement of the public.”

The representative from La Guaira State, Andrea Romero, the second runner-up, should have won, according to several members of the jury who voted for her.

It is currently unclear if the authorities are looking into the fraud allegations.