WASHINGTON: The US Department of Justice has said that it is considering whether to prosecute Boeing over two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft.
The aviation giant breached the terms of a deal made in 2021 that shielded the company from criminal charges linked to the incidents, the Department of Justice said.
Boeing has denied that it violated the deal, BBC reported on Wednesday.
The crashes – one in Indonesia in 2018, and another in Ethiopia in 2019 – claimed a total of 346 lives.
The Department of Justice said that the company failed to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics programme to prevent and detect violations of the US fraud laws throughout its operations.
Boeing said it was looking forward to the opportunity to respond to the Justice Department and the firm believed it honoured the terms of that deal.
Boeing Pays $2.5 Billion Settlement
Under the agreement, Boeing paid a $2.5 billion settlement, while prosecutors agreed to ask the court to drop a criminal charge after a period of 3 years.
The Department of Justice said that Boeing has until 13 June to respond to the allegations and that what it said would be taken into consideration as it decides what to do next.
Relatives of the victims have demanded criminal action against the company.
