Liam Payne’s friend denies ‘abandoning him’ in Argentina as three people are arrested
Liam Payne’s heartbroken friend Rogelio Nores has denied abandoning the late One Direction star before his tragic death. Liam died last month in Buenos Aires, Argentina after falling from his hotel balcony. His friend, Rogelio, known as Roger has now spoken out in a statement, and denied being a suspect. It comes after three suspects have been arrested and are under formal investigation for the singer’s death, with one accused being disclosed as having accompanied Liam on a daily basis during his stay in Argentina.
Rogelio had been with Liam during the days before he died, but has now ‘shut down’ accusations that he is the individual charged with ‘abandoning a person followed by death’. The individual in question has also been charged with being complicit in the supply of drugs. Both crimes are punishable by a prison sentence of up to 15 years on conviction.
In a statement to Mail Online, Rogelio said: “I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel 3 times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened. There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left.
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I could have never imagined something like this would happen. I've given my statement to the prosecutor on October 17 as a witness and I haven't spoken to any police officer or prosecutor ever since,” he continued. He then went on to explain to the publication that he ‘wasn’t Liam’s manager’ but a ‘very dear friend’.
“Please refer to the email I sent to Liam and his team on August 23. I'm really heart-broken with this tragedy, and I've been missing my friend every day,” he concluded.
The Argentine public prosecutor's office has announced that three people face charges of "abandonment of a person followed by death" and involvement with narcotics. A statement translated from the prosecutors detailed that "exhaustive and meticulous measures were taken to clarify the circumstances" surrounding Liam's passing.
They said in the statement: "Based on the evidence gathered and after analysing the various bodies of proceedings and numerous documentary annexes and the background of the case, prosecutor Andres Esteban Madrea formally charged three people, requesting their questioning and arrest in a 180-page ruling presented last Friday to Judge Bruniard."
It was disclosed that one accused had accompanied Liam on a daily basis during his time in Argentina, another worked at the hotel where he stayed and is accused of giving him cocaine, and the third is suspected of providing drugs.
Liam is survived by his son Bear Payne, who he welcomed with former partner Cheryl in 2017.
