Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne in Argentina, Argentine authorities said.

The 31-year-old star died on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

The hotel manager, Gilda Martin, and receptionist, Esteban Grassi, as well as Payne’s friend, Roger Norris, were charged with manslaughter, the Argentine prosecutor’s office said.

Ezequiel Pereira – who also worked at the hotel – and Brian Baez, a waiter, were charged with supplying drugs.

Under Argentina’s legal system, the prosecutor’s office collects evidence which it then presents to the judge, who must decide whether to proceed with a trial.

According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, Judge Laura Bruniard already made the decision to move to the next stage on Friday.

The defendants’ lawyers can appeal this decision. If their appeal is unsuccessful, the trial phase begins.

In court documents, Judge Bruniard listed the charges against the five suspects, referred to by their initials, as is customary in court documents at this stage of the proceedings.

• EDP ​​hotel employee is suspected of selling cocaine to Liam Payne on October 15 and 16
• The BNP bartender is also suspected of selling cocaine to Liam Payne on two occasions on October 14
• Payne’s friend RLN is suspected of manslaughter for allegedly “failing to discharge his duties of care, assistance and assistance” to the singer after he “abandoned him on his luck knowing that he was incapable of defending himself and knowing that he was so.” [Payne] He suffered from several addictions.”
• Hotel manager GAM is suspected of manslaughter because he failed to prevent Payne from being taken to his hotel room moments before his death. According to court papers, given Payne’s condition, the room’s balcony posed a “serious threat” and the manager should have made sure Payne was kept in a safe place until medical help arrived.
• The ERG’s chief receptionist is also suspected of manslaughter because he asked three people to “drag” Payne, who was unable to stand, to his room, instead of keeping him safe.

Judge Brunyard said she did not believe Liam Payne’s friend, the hotel manager and the receptionist “planned or intended Payne’s death” but that their actions created a “danger” to his life.

If found guilty, the three could face prison sentences ranging from one to five years.

The penalty for supplying drugs is more severe and ranges from four to 15 years in prison.

Judge Bruniard ordered the detention of those accused of supplying drugs.

They were summoned to appear in court within 24 working hours.

Fernando Madeo Vacente, the lawyer representing Brian Baez, told the BBC that he advised his client not to surrender himself.

He said Brian Baez did not pose a flight risk and did not hinder the investigation in any way. On the contrary, he willingly handed over his mobile phone containing conversations with Liam Payne to the authorities.

The lawyer said that holding Brian Baez in pre-trial detention would therefore be completely unnecessary and excessive.

He also said the prosecution had gone too far when it accused his client of selling drugs to Payne.

Mr Madeo Facinti said his client and Payne spent time together during which they “talked and did a lot of things in private”.

“One of the things they did was take drugs,” the lawyer said.

But he insisted that no money had changed hands and that claims to the contrary were “completely false” and lacked evidence.

He also categorically rejected articles in the Argentine media that described his client as a “Liam Payne dealer.”

In November, the prosecutor’s office said toxicology tests revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and an antidepressant in Payne’s system.

An autopsy determined the cause of death to be “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding,” as a result of his fall from the hotel balcony.

According to the prosecutor’s office, medical reports also indicated that Payne may have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.

The prosecutor’s office said this ruled out the possibility of Payne committing a deliberate or voluntary act, and they concluded that the singer did not know what he was doing and had no understanding of his actions.

Speaking to US celebrity news outlet TMZ after Payne’s death, Roger Norris said he was a “very good friend” of the singer and that they spent some time together on the day the star died.

He said Payne “seemed cheerful and happy” when he left him about an hour before the musician fell from the balcony.

After Payne’s death, police found damaged items and furniture in his hotel room.

Hotel staff made two calls to emergency services saying they had a guest who had consumed “a lot of drugs and alcohol” and was “ruining the whole room,” it was previously reported.

Payne became one of the most recognizable names in pop music after appearing on The X Factor and rising to fame with boyband One Direction in the 2000s before the band went on indefinite hiatus in January 2016.

Singer The funeral was held In Amersham, Buckinghamshire, last month.

His former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were among the mourners, along with Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy and his ex-partner Cheryl, with whom he has a son.