Boeing pleads guilty in ‘unfair’ case

Boeing announced yesterday that it has reached a settlement with the US Justice Department over two fatal 737 MAX crashes, which court documents show would see the aviation giant plead guilty to fraud.

The move comes after prosecutors concluded that Boeing violated an earlier agreement over the disasters that killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia more than five years ago.

Families of the crash victims immediately filed an objection to the settlement, arguing that it “unfairly grants Boeing concessions that other defendants would never receive.”

The plea deal allows Boeing to avoid a criminal trial, instead agreeing to a series of conditions, including a $243.6 million (HK$1.9 billion) fine on top of the same amount already paid.

It will also be required to make a minimum investment of $455 million in “compliance and security programs.”

The victims’ families will ask the court to reject the plea deal at a future hearing.

“The generous plea agreement is based on misleading and offensive premises,” states the objection filed Sunday by their legal team.

FRANCE MEDIA AGENCY