Perhaps we should separate the crash from the shady dealings with maintenance.
Whatever the reason for it coming to light, there have clearly been things happening that were not as per the book.
To continue with the police theme, stopping a car for speeding, and finding someone tied up and bleeding in the back seat, is never going to end with just 3 points and a £100 fine for speeding.
Prosecution of the pilot might be difficult, but the engineering paper trail will be simple.
Just like weeding out garages who do MOT certificates by post, all of us in aviation need to have some trust in the engineers, and that requires inspection and enforcement of the rules.