Prosecutors have turned down a requested plea bargain for a man implicated in the airport runway collision that killed a French oil executive in Moscow in October, state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday, citing the suspect's lawyer.
Vladimir Martynenko was operating the snowplow that collided with the private jet of Christophe de Margerie, the CEO of oil giant Total, on the runway of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on the night of Oct. 20. The aircraft caught fire, killing de Margerie and three French crew members on board.
Martynenko's lawyer, Alexander Karabanov, told the Izvestia newspaper earlier this week that his client was ready to admit partial guilt in exchange for leniency by prosecutors.
In October, Martynenko was charged with violating transportation safety regulations. He faces up to seven years in prison.
