According to reports, US prosecutors have advised the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file criminal charges against Boeing for breaking a settlement linked to two deadly incidents.
The suggestion, which was first made public by Reuters, was made in response to the Department of Justice’s announcement last month that Boeing had violated the terms of a 2021 deal that protected the beleaguered company from prosecution in the wake of two deadly 737 MAX crashes that claimed 346 lives in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing broke the agreement, according to the DOJ, by “failing to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.”
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The DOJ agreed in the 2021 agreement to drop its prosecution of Boeing as long as the company changed its compliance procedures and provided frequent reports. In order to resolve the probe, the business also consented to pay $2.5 billion.
After announcing that it had gotten notice from the DOJ, the business claimed earlier that it “believes that we have honored the terms.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has until July 7 to choose whether to pursue Boeing criminally.
The report is released at a time when American politicians, regulators, and prosecutors are closely monitoring the troubled corporation after one of its aircraft, operated by Alaska Airlines, was destroyed by a panel early in January.
