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An Argentinian waiter, Braian Nahuel Paiz, has broken his silence regarding the tragic death of former One Direction member Liam Payne. Paiz, who was reportedly connected to the singer as a "drug dealer," insists he did nothing wrong, claiming he neither supplied drugs to Payne nor accepted money from him.
In an interview with Argentinian journalist Guillermo Panizza, Paiz shared details about his interactions with Payne, which took place on two separate occasions at hotels in Buenos Aires. The 24-year-old waiter first encountered Payne on October 2 at the Hyatt in Palermo, where they arranged to meet after initially exchanging contact information at Paiz's workplace. "I never supplied Liam with drugs," Paiz asserted, adding that they "took drugs together" but that he never facilitated their provision.
Paiz described Payne as "really sweet" and shared that the singer even showed him unreleased music. According to Paiz, Payne contacted him via a "secret" Instagram account, and on October 13, they met again at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where they spent the night together. "He wasn't aggressive at all," Paiz stated. "He behaved really well with me, he was really sweet. He asked me if I was okay."
The investigation has also raised questions regarding Payne's missing Rolex watch. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Payne wearing the watch shortly before his fatal fall from the hotel balcony on October 16. "We know, from images that were analyzed, that Payne was wearing a Rolex on the day of his death," Argentine police confirmed. However, the watch has not been located in Payne's hotel room or in any of the nine locations raided by police in connection to the investigation.
Prosecutors have ruled out suicide, attributing Payne's fall to a state of "semi or total unconsciousness" induced by drugs and alcohol, which made him unaware of his actions. Reports from the investigation indicate that Payne had consumed alcohol, cocaine, and an antidepressant. Paiz, alongside two other suspects, faces potential charges related to drug facilitation and abandonment of a person who later died.
In a separate statement, Payne's close friend, Rogelio "Roger" Nores, who was also implicated in the probe, defended his actions, stating, "I never abandoned Liam... I left 40 minutes before this happened."
