MOSCOW, July 8 — Boeing has agreed to plead guilty and pay a US$243.6 million (RM1.14 billion) fine for a criminal fraud charge related to the fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, reported Sputnik.
Quoting a CNBC report, it said that Boeing has confirmed they reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the United States Justice Department.
The plea deal will install an independent monitor to oversee the plane maker's compliance for three years. Boeing will also have to invest at least US$455 million (RM2.13 billion) in compliance and safety programmes.
The Justice Department notified Boeing in May that it was subject to criminal prosecution after it determined that the company breached a 2021 settlement that required Boeing to pay US$2.5 billion (RM11.75 billion) in penalties and vow to improve its safety and compliance protocols.
Federal prosecutors recently recommended to senior Justice Department officials that Boeing be prosecuted for failing to improve the safety of its aircraft after a series of mishaps this year, including a door panel that blew out of an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after the takeoff, a source familiar with the matter told Sputnik.
— Bernama
