An Argentinian energy tycoon is among the three men slapped with manslaughter charges related to One Direction star Liam Payne’s tragic Oct. 16 death — despite his insistence he did everything he could to keep the troubled singer on the straight and narrow.
Rogelio “Roger” Nores was with Payne in Argentina in the hours leading up to his deadly plunge from his Buenos Aires hotel room balcony. The pair struck up a fast friendship after meeting at a 2020 dinner party at the London home of former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful.
But, a pal of Payne’s grieving girlfriend Kate Cassidy told The Post she’s relieved Nores has been charged. She accused him of making it harder to shield the crooner from indulging in his worst impulses — and calling him “more of a ‘yes’ man than a true friend” to the late pop singer.
“She knows Roger and they got along personally, but she didn’t think he was a great influence on Liam, and if she tried to be a good influence, she was accused by Roger of being a buzzkill,” said Cassidy’s friend, who asked not to be identified.
“She complained about that to me even before Liam died. She felt like she was in the position of being the mother and they were unruly teenagers, which was not the role she wanted,” she added.
Nores and two hotel employees — Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi — are were charged with manslaughter by a judge on Monday. They are accused of knowing that Payne was extremely intoxicated and not intervening to keep him away from his hotel room and the open balcony until he could get help.
All three face up to five years in prison, if convicted.
In Argenina, manslaughter is charged when a suspect is alleged to be negligent in someone’s death — it does not imply that the suspect caused the death.
In Nores’ case, the charge is a downgrade from what the prosecution requested.
Nores was previously accused of abandoning Payne prior to his death, a more serious charge that carries up to 15 years in prison for anyone convicted, according to the New York Times.
Last month, Argentinian prosecutors also filed charges against three other men for allegedly providing Payne, 31, with narcotics before his fatal plunge.
It’s not clear whether any of the men have responded to the charges. Nores could not be reached for comment.
Cassidy had flown to Buenos Aires for a two-week couple’s trip with Payne but departed for her home state of Florida just two days before he fell from the third-story balcony.
“She knew that Liam and Roger had secrets behind her back, she’d complain about it. Like she never knew what they were up to. And just a couple days after she leaves, and there are prostitutes and drug dealers and God knows what else.”
The pop singer’s autopsy later determined he had a toxic mixture of drugs in his system at the time, including crack and so-called “pink cocaine” — a mix of ketamine and other drugs.
Months before his death, Payne flew to Manchester, England with an entourage to film his new Netflix show “Building the Band” at a time he had purportedly been clean and sober for several months.
But Nores — who was still part of his team when the Netflix deal was struck, penned a worrying email to the vocalist’s father and management team in August warning that his newfound sobriety was at risk, according to previous reporting by Page Six.
“I’m really concerned for his well-being while he is out there and I hope you can bring professional doctors to check on his health regularly as soon as possible as I did while he was out in the US,” Nores wrote in a note seen by Page Six.
“I am going to stay fully out of the picture and disconnected from now on and I wish you all the best with Liam’s health and career.”
But Cassidy’s friend said Nores was a “destructive” influence on Payne, despite apparently well-meaning message.
“A true friend says no sometimes when things are destructive, but Roger never said no. Not to Liam. If Liam wanted something, Roger would do it, get it, make it happen. That’s not friendship. He wasn’t Liam’s friend at all.”
The three hit with manslaughter charges, including Nores, have been banned from leaving the country following the charges, the outlet reported.
The Post reached out to Nores’ girlfriend in an attempt to seek comment, and texted a phone number previously known to be his, but did not immediately hear back.
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