Carlina Duran,the
woman who was recently named Miss Dominican Republic has lost her
crown due to the discovery that she was married.
The rules state that those vying for the crown must be single.
But Magaly
Febles, director of the Miss Domincan Republic contest, said Tuesday it
had been discovered that recent winner Carlina Duran was married in
2009.
Duran said in a statement read at a Wednesday night news conference
that she had never lived with her husband.
"In my daily life, I remained like a single woman, without thinking of
myself neither materially nor spiritually married," said the statement,
read by her lawyer.
The statement
also said the marriage was brief, and the couple had begun annulment
proceedings. The statement didn't specify whether the annulment was
finalized.
Duran's statement called her decision to hide her marriage from the
contest organizers the "fruit of my inexperience."
Febles
officially handed the crown to first runner-up, 24-year-old Dulcita
Lieggi, at the news conference.
The 25-year-old Duran was crowned Miss Dominican Republic on April
17,2012 and was to represent her country at the Miss Universe contest.