The US airplane-maker Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge of defrauding the federal government related to a pair of crashes of its 737 Max planes.
In the deal with the US department, Boeing also agreed to pay a $487.2 million fine, the maximum allowed by law, and invest at least $455 million over the next three years to strengthen its compliance and safety programmes, as per the court filings. Lawyers for the victims' families are planning to object to the deal.
The two crashes that happened in 2018 and 2019 killed more than 300 people.
The planes malfunctioned because of the software called MCAS had to depend on just a single external sensor for its data. However, when Boing introduced the 737 Max, it failed to inform the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots, or the airlines about the limitation to avoid safety regulations.
Under the new deal, the company is subject to a court order for three years court-supervised probation. As a part of the agreement, Boeing's board of directors has agreed to a meeting with the victims' families.
"Through crafty lawyering between Boeing and DOJ, the deadly consequences of Boeing’s crime are being hidden," said Paul Cassel, a lawyer of victims' family members told The Washington Post. He is also planning to oppose the deal.
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