Sorry blackmail but you seem to be slighly confused.
if only minor interventions have been carried out, then the crew can do this, but of course not at the gate
this is the bit where you are not quite right. As previously stated run ups to
IDLE can be carried out at the gate, for leak checks after a filter change for example. Pax can be onboard provided the crew are at the helm.
Anything that requires a run
ABOVE idle will require a tow off of stand as previously stated.
It seems this thread has been hijacked a bit, sorry.
There are rules and regulations that have to be followed when doing idle checks on stand, informing ATC, those on the ramp, on the a/c etc etc, as long as you follow these rules and don't try to shortcut, then things should be ok.
I don't wish to speculate on the circumstances, but commercial pressure for OTP seems to be in my mind.