Liam Payne fell to his death this year

Two men charged over Liam Payne’s fatal fall from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentina are gearing up for a key appeal date after being formally accused last month

Two of the five men implicated in the tragic death of Liam Payne are preparing for a crucial appeal date.

Their legal team will seek to overturn Judge Laura Bruniard’s decision to formally accuse them, paving the way for a high-profile trial later this year. The lawyers representing the two suspects accused of supplying cocaine to the singer before his fatal fall are anticipated to challenge their pre-trial detention which began following their arrests earlier this month.

The two men are potentially facing up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The appeal hearing at Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Court in Buenos Aires is believed to be set for February 10, after the January judicial break in the South American nation.

It remains unclear whether the hearing will be open to the public or conducted privately. This significant development in the case comes as it was revealed Liam’s friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, one of the three men charged with manslaughter, has enlisted a top lawyer to his defense team.

Liam Payne
There’s been a key update in the case around Liam Payne’s death ( Image:Getty Images)

The businessman is also suing Liam’s father for $10 million for defamation in a lawsuit filed in Palm Beach, Florida. Nores has accused Geoff Payne of making “misleading false and defamatory claims” in sworn statements to prosecutors in Buenos Aires.

These statements are part of the investigation into Liam’s death and have implicated Nores, including the claim that he was Liam’s manager and responsible for his care. Rafael Cuneo Libarona has been appointed as Nores’ new lawyer.

He is expected to strengthen Nores’ argument that he was never Liam’s manager or the “guarantor” that Judge Bruniard described him as when she decided to charge him. Speaking to Infobae, Mr. Cuneo Libarona said, “The lawsuit we filed in the United States is to stop an unnecessary, mendacious and dishonest attack seeking to hold my client responsible instead of exposing who really are responsible for Liam Payne’s descent into drugs at a very young age.”

He further clarified: “My client is not a manager, he is not a nurse, he is not a psychologist, nor a psychiatrist, nor is he dedicated to the recovery of addicts. He is a simple friend in Argentina who helps him in his business affairs.”

Rogelio 'Roger' Nores
Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores has insisted he is innocent ( Image: Erica Canepa/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

He insisted that Nores was not the “guarantor” that the charging judge categorized him as, adding, “The lawsuit we lodged in the United States is designed to put things in their place because nowadays it’s very easy to make a bad statement about someone.”

Nores’ defense team is expected to argue that Payne was aware of the risks associated with drug use and chose to partake without coercion. The other two individuals facing charges are Esteban Grassi, the hotel’s chief receptionist who made a 911 call moments before Payne’s death, and Gilda Martin, head of security.

If convicted, they could face between one and five years in prison, though they have been informed that suspended jail sentences may be an option. Two additional suspects, waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz and suspended hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra, have been charged with selling cocaine to Payne and could face between four and 15 years in prison if found guilty.

Nores, in a recent TMZ documentary, insisted Liam was “in good spirits and perfectly balanced” on the day he died, challenging allegations the singer was behaving erratically and was under the influence before his fatal fall. The businessman had already declared his innocence and disputed claims he acted as Liam’s manager, a point considered significant by the prosecution.

In a statement made shortly after becoming a subject of official investigation, he expressed, “I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three 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. I could have never imagined something like this would happen.”

He added, “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. I wasn’t Liam’s manager. He was just my very dear friend.”

Furthermore, Nores has emphasized in a written statement submitted to the courts that he “wasn’t Liam’s doctor, lawyer, representative or therapeutic companion” affirming that their connection was purely based on friendship.