Liam Payne’s friend Rogelio “Roger” Nores issued a statement denying his relationship with the former One Direction member. fatal fall from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on 16 Oct.
“I never abandoned Liam. I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened,” said Nores, an Argentinian businessman who befriended Payne year 2020 — told the Daily Mail on Thursday.
“There were over 15 people in the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left.”
Nores – who “could never have imagined that something like this would happen” – pointed out that he gave his “statement to the prosecutor on October 17 as a witness.”
He insisted he has not “spoken to any police or prosecutors since then.”
Nores, 35, went on to note that he was “not Liam’s manager” and called the late singer his “very dear friend” who he “has missed … every day.”
“I am truly sorry for this tragedy,” Nores added, urging the outlet to “refer to the email (he) sent to Liam and his team on August 23rd,” which was to alert them to his “concerns” with Payne’s “well-being”.
An eyewitness told the Daily Mail that Payne was on a “bender” before he fell from the balcony of his room and that Nores even apologized to hotel guests for the behaviour, which was described by onlookers as “erratic”.
The National Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday that Payne’s friend, identified as an Argentine businessman, a hotel employee and an alleged drug dealer has been prosecuted in connection with his death.
The friend — who reportedly introduced himself as Payne’s manager — was charged with human abandonment resulting in death for allegedly failing to inform the musician’s family that he had relapsed into drugs.
As Payne plunged to his death – likely in a “state of semi- or total unconsciousness” — The police allegedly tried to get in touch with the friend via a mobile phone number that the hotel managers had provided, but he did not answer.
The friend later testified as a witness, prompting a judge to rule that he allegedly breached his duty of care with respect to Payne.
If the friend is convicted, he faces a sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
Meanwhile, the hotel employee and the alleged drug dealer were accused of supplying Payne with narcotics.
But sources familiar with Argentina’s legal system explained to the Daily Mail that the three people have not been formally charged; rather, they have been arrested and placed under official suspicion.
A toxicology report revealed Payne had multiple drugs in his system when he died, i.a pink cocainewhich usually consists of ecstasy, ketamine, caffeine and a psychedelic used to treat sexual dysfunction called 2-CB or Tusi.
Photos investigator took off the troubled star’s throwaway room also showed Clonazepam, a benzodiazepine drug used to treat panic disorder and epilepsy, and drug paraphernalia strewn across a table.
In contrast, Payne’s cause of death at age 31 has attributed multiple traumas from the impact of the fall leading to internal and external bleeding.
