Five men being investigated over Liam Payne’s death have been charged and two of them given 24 hours to return to court after being told they face being remanded in custody.
Argentinian judge Laura Bruniard was expected to make a decision on whether to move forward with prosecutions or close the case against the suspects early in the new year.
But it emerged overnight she had already made her decision within a 10-day time limit she had to rule after summoning them for questioning just before Christmas.
Waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz (24) and Ezequiel David Pereyra (21), currently suspended from his job at the Buenos Aires hotel where former One Direction singer Liam plunged to his death on October 16th, have been formally accused of selling him drugs on two separate occasions.
The crime they face prosecution over carries a maximum 15-year prison sentence on conviction.
The other three men charged have been named locally as Liam’s businessman friend Roger Nores, hotel chief receptionist Esteban Grassi and head of security Gilda Martin.
Argentinian news website Infobae reported the investigating judge had decided to charge all three men with manslaughter.
Instead of remanding them in custody, she is said to have placed a travel ban on them and ordered them to forfeit the equivalent in Argentinian pesos of around €45,000.
As news emerged of the charges, Mr Paiz’s lawyer called the court decision “illegitimate, unfounded and arbitrary.”
WhatsApp messages between Liam and the former waiter are said to have played a key part in judge Bruniard’s decision to accuse him of selling cocaine twice – both on two separate occasions on October 14th two days before the Briton died at CasaSur Palermo Hotel.