Liam Payne's friend issues statement on 'abandonment' claim after singer's death

Liam Payne's close friend Rogelio 'Roger' Nores has refuted claims that he left the former One Direction member alone before his tragic death. Roger has reportedly dismissed allegations of a police raid at his Buenos Aires home and maintains he is not a suspect in the ongoing investigation.

However, three individuals have been arrested in connection with the singer's death and are currently under formal investigation in Argentina. It is suspected that one of the detainees was a "friend" of Liam, although their identity remains undisclosed.

Liam passed away after a fall from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires last month, aged 31. The Argentinian public prosecutor's office has charged one of the individuals who was with Liam at the time with "abandonment of a person followed by death" an offence that could result in up to 15 years imprisonment.

Roger has spoken out to the press, insisting on his innocence. He stated: "I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened."

In a statement to Mail Online, he further explained: "There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen... I'm really heart-broken with this tragedy, and I've been missing my friend every day," reports the Mirror.

An employee at the hotel where the British singer was staying and another individual have been charged with drug supply offences. Prosecutors have also dismissed any suggestion of third-party involvement or "self-harm" in Liam's death, based on a forensic psychiatric report.

They stated: "Although other medical background information from the victim's clinical history must still be analysed, the phenomenon of the lack of defence or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall," according to a translated statement. Liam's body has been repatriated earlier this week, with his funeral expected to take place on Friday in his hometown of Wolverhampton.

The post-mortem examination revealed he died from multiple injuries and internal and external bleeding following the fall, with his body discovered in the hotel's internal courtyard. Meanwhile, authorities have conducted at least nine raids in Buenos Aires, and some of Liam's personal devices are currently under analysis, added the prosecutors.

Prosecutors stated that "exhaustive and meticulous measures were taken to clarify the circumstances" surrounding the death of the former One Direction singer. The tragedy, which occurred on Wednesday, October 16, prompted fans worldwide to hold vigils, while music stars paid their respects.