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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 maker a “sweetheart plea deal”.<\/p>\n
Paul Cassell, who says he got the information “directly from the Justice Department”, added that the deal includes a small fine, three years of probation and independent safety audits.<\/p>\n
Boeing did not immediately reply to the BBC’s request for comment, while the Justice Department (DoJ) declined to provide a statement.<\/p>\n
Last week, US prosecutors recommended that the DoJ bring criminal charges against the plane maker.<\/p>\n
That was after the DoJ said Boeing had violated a 2021 settlement related to the crashes which killed 346 people.<\/p>\n
“The memory of 346 innocents killed by Boeing demands more justice than this,” said Mr Cassell, adding that the “families will strenuously object to this plea deal”. <\/p>\n
The plane crashes – both involving Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft – occurred within six months of each other.<\/p>\n
The crash involving Indonesia’s Lion Air occurred in October 2018, followed by an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n