Family members of victims killed in two Boeing 737 MAX crashes on Monday asked a US judge to name a corporate monitor to examine the planemaker's safety and corporate compliance procedures. In a court filing, the family members asked US District Judge Reed O'Connor to impose the independent monitor saying "Boeing presents an ongoing threat to public safety." Among the reasons the families cited were: the US Justice Department's recent determination that Boeing breached a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement; the Jan. 5 mid-air emergency of a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9; and "an almost daily barrage of news reports about Boeing aircraft malfunctioning and internal whistleblowers disclosing Boeing’s regulatory violations." Last month, the Justice Department said Boeing had failed to "design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the US fraud laws throughout its operations", violating the agreement that shielded the planemaker from criminal prosecution over fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. O’Connor ruled in October 2022 that the 346 people killed in two Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 were legally “crime victims” and said the Justice Department had not complied with its victim notification obligations under the law. The Justice Department must decide by July 7 whether to prosecute Boeing and it could seek to require a monitor as part of any settlement with the planemaker. Ahead of the Justice Department ruling, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen is joined by Anita Mendiratta, author, tourism/aviation expert, global strategic advisor, speaker and board member in tourism & development. She is Founder and President of ANITA MENDIRATTA & Associates.
