The agreement was related to the crash of two Boeing 737 Max planes in 2018–2019. The company was accused of misleading the aviation authorities who had given permission for the plane type.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has breached an agreement that used the company to avoid prosecution related to two disastrous plane crashes, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Justice is now looking into whether charges will be brought again.
Boeing commented to the news agency AFP that the company considers that it has respected the terms of the agreement.
In 2018–2019, 346 people died in two Boeing 737 Max plane crashes. The Ministry of Justice started an investigation into the matter, and in 2021 Boeing agreed with the Ministry of the matter, so that fraud charges would not be brought against the company. Boeing was accused of misleading the US aviation authorities who issued the type of plane’s permission to fly.
The agreement included, among other things, a compensation amount of 2.5 billion dollars, of which half a billion was directed to a fund intended for the families of those who died in plane accidents. Boeing also had to make arrangements to no longer run afoul of federal fraud laws.
Boeing has recently been in a downward spiral again, when parts of its planes have come off mid-flight. In January, a part of the fuselage of the company’s 737 Max 9 model plane came off on an Alaska Airlines flight. The plane made an emergency landing with a gaping hole in its side.
The ministry will soon meet with the families of the victims
Families of plane crash victims have sought to overturn the federal government’s agreement with Boeing through the courts in Texas.
On Tuesday, the director of fraud in the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal division Glenn Leon told a Texas court that Boeing has not made the necessary arrangements to prevent violations of fraud laws.
Next, the Justice Department will consider whether to bring charges against Boeing.
– The administration will find out how it plans to continue with the matter, the ministry told the court.
The prosecutors of the Ministry of Justice will meet the families of the victims at the end of May. According to the Ministry of Justice, a decision on the possible filing of charges will be made by July 7.
Sources: Reuters, AP, AFP