More than five years after the two fatal crashes involving 737 MAX planes, Boeing is facing new legal proceedings. Prosecutors concluded that the company did not honor an earlier agreement on the crash issue.
The deadline for the aviation giant to accept or reject a Justice Department proposal passed Friday evening. It requires the company to plead guilty to fraud during the certification of MAX planes, AFP reported.
There have been no public statements from either side yet. The attorney for the victims' families, Robert Clifford, believes the deadline will be extended over the weekend if Boeing requests more time.
Boeing's latest legal predicament was sparked by a Justice Department ruling in mid-May that the company had flouted a 2021 Deferral of Criminal Prosecution Agreement (DPA) by failing to meet requirements to improve its compliance program and ethics after the MAX crashes.
Under the proposal presented by the Ministry of Victims' Families, Boeing would pay an additional penalty of $243 million and agree to admit an outside observer.
"Pleading guilty is a significant step. No one wants to be convicted or recognized as a criminal," said Tracy Brammeyer, another attorney on the case. However, the families are not happy with the proposal.
The Justice Department said it will notify the US court of how it will proceed no later than July 7. The agency is expected to announce steps to prosecute Boeing if the aviation giant rejects the deal. I BGNES
