Boeing, the aerospace giant, is facing criminal charges from the US Justice Department over its involvement in two fatal crashes of its 737 Max planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019 that claimed the lives of 346 people. The company is being offered a plea deal by the Justice Department, but families of the victims have criticized it as a 'sweetheart deal' due to its lack of accountability for the deaths.
Under this proposed agreement, Boeing would plead guilty to one count of fraud and pay additional financial penalties. The company would also submit to oversight by an independent monitor for three years and face probation. However, families of the victims have expressed their objections to this deal, hoping for more justice and accountability.
The Justice Department reached a controversial agreement with Boeing in 2021 that protected the company from criminal conspiracy charges related to these crashes. This previous deal was criticized by many as being too lenient towards Boeing. The victims' families are now urging the department to reject this new plea deal and instead hold the company accountable for its actions.
Boeing has until the end of this week to decide whether it will accept the plea deal or go to trial. If it chooses to reject the offer, prosecutors will take the case to trial on July 7. The outcome of this decision could significantly impact Boeing's reputation and financial situation.
The families of victims from both crashes have formed a united front in their opposition to this plea deal, with one attorney representing them describing it as a 'no-accountability-deal.' They argue that the agreement fails to acknowledge the dignity of the victims and does not hold Boeing fully accountable for its role in their deaths.
The Justice Department has yet to comment on these criticisms. Boeing, too, has remained silent on the matter.