Texas [USA], May 15: According to court records in the state of Texas (USA), the US Department of Justice said that Boeing failed to "design, implement and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of anti-corruption laws." US fraud throughout its operations," Reuters reported.
The filing also said Boeing could be prosecuted, but the US government is determining how to handle the matter.
Boeing did not immediately comment.
The US Department of Justice declined to provide further information beyond court records. The filing includes a letter in which the US Department of Justice said it had asked Boeing to explain the nature and circumstances of the violation as well as actions to resolve the situation by June 13. The US government will review Boeing's response to determine whether to prosecute or not. The US Department of Justice will decide on this before July 7.
Relatives of crash victims and their lawyers argued that the American plane maker violated a 2021 agreement with prosecutors governing the company's compliance program. Federal prosecutors previously agreed to ask a judge to drop criminal charges against Boeing as long as the company complies with the terms of a three-year deferred prosecution agreement.
But a serious incident occurred with a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on January 5, just two days before the 2021 agreement expired. US Justice Department officials are looking into the incident as part of a broader investigation into whether Boeing violated the agreement.
In January 2021, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to resolve a criminal investigation into the company's conduct surrounding accidents in 2018 and 2019 involving the 737 MAX aircraft. The US aircraft manufacturer has agreed to compensate victims' relatives and review its compliance practices as part of a settlement with prosecutors.
The agreement gives US officials six months from when the agreement expires on January 7 to decide whether to prosecute Boeing for allegedly conspiring to defraud the US Federal Aviation Administration or pursue other options. other to dismiss the case or not.
Paul G. Cassell, an attorney for the victims' families, said the Justice Department's announcement was "a positive first step... But we need to see the Justice Department take further action to force Boeing to in charge of". He said the families will hold a meeting with the US Department of Justice on May 31 to detail "what we believe will be an adequate remedy for Boeing's ongoing criminal conduct." ".
In October 2018, a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 crashed over Indonesian waters, killing all 189 passengers and crew members. In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 crashed just 6 minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa airport (Ethiopia), claiming the lives of 157 people.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
