A June 23 trial date has been set for a criminal case against aviation giant Boeing over two deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 (JUSTIN TALLIS)
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In two court filings in Texas, Judge Reed O’Connor said he was vacating an April 11 deadline for Boeing and prosecutors to announce progress on a plea deal, and moving ahead with the trial over the two crashes, in which 346 people died.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the case.
“Finally (there is) going to be a trial,” Berthet told AFP.
Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to fraud after the Justice Department found the company failed to improve its compliance and ethics program, in breach of a deferred prosecution agreement following the two deadly MAX crashes.
That deal was concluded in January 2021 to address the disasters in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
But in December, a judge in Texas rejected the 2024 settlement over apparent flaws in the selection process for a monitor to ensure Boeing’s compliance, sending the company and the government back to continue discussions.
“For years we have been fighting, and I am fighting, on behalf of the victims and my daughter Camille, for truth and justice,” said Berthet.
“A trial is necessary to bring this truth to light.”
It was not immediately clear why O’Connor decided to cancel the April 11 deadline for the plea deal and move directly to trial.
Source: AFP
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