Boeing Avoids Prosecution in Justice Department Deal Over Crashes

The US Department of Justice says Boeing is set to enter into a non-prosecution agreement in the fatal crashes of two 737 Max aircraft that killed hundreds.

As part of the deal, Boeing will avoid an upcoming fraud trial that could have resulted in felony convictions for the US aviation giant and defence contractor.

The deal includes the company admitting to obstructing federal aviation officials and paying US$1.1 billion in fines.

The two crashes, in 2018 and 2019, left 346 people dead. The government said it had conferred with families of crash victims, and said many either supported or did not oppose the deal.

But family members of some of the victims have strongly criticised the agreement.

Javier de Luis, whose sister was killed in the 2019 crash in Ethiopia, expressed his outrage over the decision in a statement released by the lawyers for plaintiffs suing Boeing.

He said the message sent by this action to companies around the country is, don’t worry about making your products safe for your customers, even if you kill them, just pay a small fine and move on.

Paul Cassell, a lawyer representing the relatives of the victims, said the families hope to convince the court to reject the deal.