US government offers ‘sweet deal’ with Boeing, lawyer says
A lawyer representing victims of two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes has told the BBC that the US government is preparing to offer the plane manufacturer a “sweetheart plea deal”. .
Paul Cassell, who said he received the information “directly from the Department of Justice,” added that the deal includes a small fine, three years of probation and an independent safety audit.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment, while the Department of Justice (DoJ) declined to comment.
Last week, US prosecutors asked the DoJ to bring criminal charges against the aircraft manufacturer.
The statement comes after the Justice Department said Boeing violated a 2021 agreement related to crashes that killed 346 people.
“The memory of the 346 innocent people killed by Boeing demands more justice than this,” Mr Cassell said, adding that “the families will strongly oppose this plea agreement”.
The two plane crashes – both involving Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft – occurred six months apart.
The crash involving Indonesian airline Lion Air occurred in October 2018, followed by an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019.
