Brief news
Boeing is facing a deadline of July 7th for the Justice Department to decide whether to charge the planemaker criminally. Boeing’s attorneys and Justice Department representatives met to discuss the government’s conclusion that the business had broken a 2021 agreement with the department. Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) protected it from criminal prosecution in relation to two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed 346 lives. Boeing’s attorneys argued that a prosecution would be unnecessary and that the 2021 agreement does not need to be ripped up. The Sunday meeting will be attended by prosecutors from the Dallas U.S. Attorney’s office and the Justice Department’s criminal fraud section. Both Boeing and the DOJ declined to respond through spokespeople. A criminal conspiracy charge of defrauding the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resulting from the deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 placed Boeing on the verge of being exonerated.
Illustrated news
New York (Reuters) – A deadline of July 7th for the Justice Department to choose whether to charge the planemaker criminally is approaching, and U.S. prosecutors are meeting with Boeing and the family of those killed in crashes, according to two individuals with knowledge of the situation and emails obtained by Reuters.
According to one of the people, Boeing’s attorneys and Justice Department representatives met on Thursday to discuss the government’s conclusion that the business had broken a 2021 agreement with the department. Deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) protected it from criminal prosecution in relation to two 737 MAX crashes that occurred in 2018 and 2019 and claimed 346 lives.
According to the second source, family members of the victims will get an update on the status of the federal prosecutors’ probe during a meeting with them on Sunday. “Tight timeline” is what U.S. officials are working on, according to a DOJ email that Reuters examined.
According to one of the persons, Boeing’s attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis made their case to Deputy Attorney General’s office officials on Thursday, arguing that a prosecution would be unnecessary and that the 2021 agreement does not need to be ripped up.
These kinds of requests from businesses that the DOJ is pursuing are common during negotiations to end a federal probe.
According to the email, officials are seeking family members’ opinions as they decide how to move forward. The Sunday meeting will be attended by prosecutors from the Dallas U.S. Attorney’s office and the Justice Department’s criminal fraud section, according to the statement.
Both Boeing and the DOJ declined to respond through spokespeople.
Boeing has officially informed prosecutors that it disagrees with the conclusion that it broke the agreement and has previously stated that it has “honoured the terms” of the settlement.
According to two people previously acquainted with the situation who spoke to Reuters, U.S. prosecutors have suggested to senior Justice Department officials that criminal charges be launched against Boeing after it was discovered that the planemaker had broken the terms of the 2021 settlement.
It was said last week that although the two sides are in talks about a possible resolution to the Justice Department’s probe, there is no certainty that authorities will press charges.
Two days before to the company’s DPA expiring, on January 5, a mid-flight panel blow-out occurred on a Boeing aircraft, prompting the considerations. The tragedy made Boeing’s continuous safety and quality problems more apparent.
A criminal conspiracy charge of defrauding the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resulting from the deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 placed Boeing on the verge of being exonerated.
A criminal complaint had been dropped by prosecutors provided Boeing changed its compliance procedures and provided frequent reports for a period of three years. Boeing also consented to settle the inquiry for $2.5 billion.
Authorities found in May that the business had violated the contract, opening Boeing to legal action. According to a DOJ court filing in Texas, the planemaker was not able to “design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics programme to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.”
Source : Reuters
