Boeing Co (NYSE:BA, ETR:BCO) has been handed an ultimatum by the US justice system: admit to fraud charges or face a public trial for the two fatal crashes of 737 max planes.
The US Department of Justice said Boeing will have until Friday to admit its guilt.
Should Boeing accept the plea, it will have to pay £192 million (US$244 million) in criminal fines and be put under a three-year probation period, according to multiple reports today.
Admitting to a criminal charge could also affect the aircraft maker's partnerships with the US military.
Attorneys working for the relatives of those lost in the fatal crashes accused the government of offering “another sweetheart plea deal” to Boeing.
"The memory of 346 innocents killed by Boeing demands more justice than this,” said Paul Cassell, who represents mutiple families of the crash victims.