Five people charged in Argentina in connection with Liam Payne's death
Entertainment
Five people charged in Argentina in connection with Liam Payne’s death
(Web Desk) - In connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, five people have been charged in in Argentina.
The 31-year-old star died on 16 October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
The hotel's manager, Gilda Martin, and its receptionist, Esteban Grassi, as well as Payne's friend Roger Nores have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina's prosecutor's office says.
Ezequiel Pereyra - who also worked at the hotel - and Braian Paiz, a waiter, have been charged with supplying drugs.
Under Argentina's legal system, the prosecutor's office gathers evidence which it then presents to a judge, who has to decide whether to proceed to trial.
Judge Laura Bruniard already took the decision to proceed to the next stage on Friday.
The defendants' lawyers can appeal against that decision. If their appeals are not successful, the trial phase starts.
In court documents, Judge Bruniard listed the charges against the five suspects, who are referred to by their initials, as is the custom in court documents at this stage of the proceedings.
Hotel Manager GAM is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly failing to stop Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death. According to the court papers, given Payne's state, the room's balcony posed a "serious threat" and the manager should have ensured Payne was kept in a safe place until medical help arrived.
Chief receptionist ERG is also suspected of manslaughter for allegedly asking three people to "drag" Payne, who could not stand up, to his room, instead of keeping him safe.
Judge Bruniard said that she did not think that Liam Payne's friend, the hotel manager and the receptionist "had planned or wanted the death of Payne" but that their actions had created a "risk" to his life.
If found guilty, the three could face sentences of between one and five years in prison.
The sentence for supplying drugs is more severe and ranges between four and 15 years in jail.
Judge Bruniard has ordered the two accused of supplying the drugs be remanded in custody.
They have been summoned to appear within 24 working hours.
Fernando Madeo Facente, the lawyer representing Braian Paiz, told the BBC that he had advised his client not to hand himself in.
He said that Braian Paiz posed no flight risk and had in no way hindered the investigation. To the contrary, he had handed over his mobile phone containing chats with Liam Payne to the authorities willingly.
The lawyer argued that holding Braian Paiz in pre-trial detention would therefore be completely unnecessary and over the top.
He also argued that the prosecution had gone too far when it had accused his client of selling drugs to Payne.
Mr Madeo Facente said that his client and Payne had spent time together "during which they talked and did a lot of things, in private".
"And one of those things they did was to consume drugs," the lawyer said.
But he insisted that no money had been exchanged and that allegations to the contrary were "completely false" and lacking in evidence.
He also emphatically rejected articles in the Argentine media which had described his client as "Liam Payne's dealer".
Liam Payne's girlfriend says Christmas a 'time of grief and sadness'
