(New York) Boeing has reached an agreement with the U.S. government to avoid an embarrassing trial with an uncertain outcome in the criminal case related to the crashes of two 737 MAX 8 jets in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people.
“We have reached an agreement in principle on the terms of a resolution with the Department of Justice” (DOJ), the American aircraft manufacturer said in a statement released overnight from Sunday to Monday.
In a progress report filed Sunday with the Texas federal court, the department confirmed this agreement in principle and committed to transmitting the final agreement to the judge no later than July 19.
The plea agreement comes after the department ruled in mid-May that the group violated an earlier agreement over crashes of planes operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines.
This so-called deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) of January 7, 2021 required it in particular to improve its compliance and ethics program, with a three-year probationary period.
But the group has been accumulating a series of production and quality problems for many months. The latest episode: the American regulator (FAA) requested on Monday the “immediate” inspection of more than 2,600 aircraft of the 737 family in the United States for a problem with the attachment of the oxygen generators.
An in-flight incident on January 5 on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 proved to be the last straw, leading to a host of legal, political, regulatory and governance fallout.
Un chef d’accusation
En faisant part de ses conclusions au juge texan Reed O’Connor à la mi-mai, le département s’était engagé à faire part « au plus tard le 7 juillet » de sa décision de lancer ou non des poursuites.
Une dizaine de jours avant cette échéance, il avait adressé une offre de reconnaissance de culpabilité à Boeing. Elle portait sur le seul chef d’inculpation contenu dans le DPA de 2021.
D’après les documents déposés tard dimanche soir auprès du tribunal, l’entreprise a accepté de plaider coupable d’avoir « en toute connaissance, et avec l’intention de commettre une fraude, conspiré et s’être entendue avec des tiers pour commettre une fraude envers les États-Unis » lors du processus de certification du 737 MAX.
Les familles des victimes ont réagi immédiatement dans un communiqué, se disant « très déçues ».
Elles ont déposé, dans la foulée, une motion de contestation et réclamé une audience auprès du juge.
Cet accord « généreux repose sur des postulats trompeurs et offensants », selon la requête des avocats.
« La justice américaine, qui devrait être un exemple pour le monde entier, montre en réalité une complaisance honteuse face à ceux qui privilégient la rentabilité et l’image à court terme sur la sécurité de [leurs] “passengers,” lamented Catherine Berthet on Monday, who lost her daughter Camille in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
” Once again, […] The DOJ is ignoring the families by not mentioning any of the victims in the plea deal,” she said.
The department specifies in its document that it intends to meet them soon.
Immunity
Following the two crashes, all 737 MAX aircraft were grounded for 20 months in the United States and around the world. Boeing admitted in April 2019 that its MCAS anti-stall software was partly responsible.
Under the 2021 settlement, Boeing paid $2.5 billion — including a $243.6 million fine — in exchange for immunity for its executives from criminal prosecution.
Only one person, a former Boeing test pilot, was prosecuted in the case. And acquitted.
The tentative agreement reached Sunday provides for an additional fine of $243.6 million and a minimum investment of $455 million in “compliance and security programs.”
Boeing, under close surveillance by the FAA, presented at the end of May a “comprehensive plan” to return to quality.
In addition, an independent monitor appointed by the government for a three-year term – a new probationary period – will be responsible for supervising compliance with these commitments. This has been demanded by the families for years.
According to the agreement, the amount of compensation for the latter will be determined by the court, and the aircraft manufacturer’s board of directors will have to meet with them.
Boeing shares were up 0.44 percent on the New York Stock Exchange as of 3:15 p.m. ET.