Boeing violated a 2021 agreement that protected it from criminal prosecution after two 737 Max disasters killed 346 people overseas, the Justice Department told a federal judge in a court filing Tuesday.
According to the Justice Department, Boeing failed to “design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.”
The government has not yet decided whether it will sue Boeing, but lawyers representing the families of victims who died in the crash said they hope additional action will be taken.
“This is a positive first step, and for the families, it will take time. “But we need further action from the DOJ to hold Boeing accountable, and we plan to use our May 31 meeting to further explain what we believe to be a satisfactory remedy for Boeing’s current criminal conduct.” , said Paul Cassell, lawyer for the victims. ” families and a law professor at the University of Utah School of Law said in a statement.
Boeing acknowledged it was informed of the decision and said it planned to respond.
“We can confirm that we received communication today from the Department of Justice, stating that the Department has determined that we have not fulfilled our obligations under our 2021 Deferred Prosecution Agreement, and requesting response from the company,” Boeing told USA TODAY in a statement. statement.
“We believe we have honored the terms of this agreement and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Ministry on this matter. In doing so, we will engage with the Ministry with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout of the agreement’s mandate, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident.”
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Government officials plan to meet May 31 with crash victims and have asked Boeing to respond to the case by June 13. The ministry will inform the court by July 7 how it plans to proceed, which could lead to criminal charges against the company.
The airliner maker has faced increased scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers this year after the latest grounding of its 737 Max jets. In January, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max lost a door cap during a flight. Although the incident caused no serious injuries or deaths, the Federal Aviation Administration quickly grounded the fleet of 737 Max planes with the same type of door jam, and regulators launched new investigations into the Boeing production practices.
Passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight later received letters from the FBI informing them that they could be victims of a crime.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com
News Source : www.usatoday.com
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