by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:55 AM ET, Wed May 15, 2024
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has determined
that airplane manufacturer Boeing
breached a non-prosecution agreement related to the two fatal 737 MAX crashes in
2018 and 2019.
According to Fox
Business, the DOJ notified a federal court in Texas that Boeing breached
its Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) in 2021. The DPA allowed the
manufacturer to escape criminal prosecution in exchange for implementing new
safety rules and regulations.
As a result, the DOJ now believes Boeing
should be subject to prosecution related to the deadly crashes, but officials
said they are working on how to proceed with the case. Boeing has until June 13
to respond to the government’s allegations.
In total, 346 people were killed in the October 2018 and
March 2019 plane crashes.
In the letter presented to federal authorities in Texas, the
government believes the manufacturer failed “to design, implement, and enforce
a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S.
fraud laws throughout its operations.”
In response, a Boeing spokesperson released a response to ABC
News.
“We believe that we have honored the terms of that
agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on
this issue,” the statement said. “We will engage with the Department with the
utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement,
including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282
accident.”
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
