U.S. regulators announced on the 22nd that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fined aviation giant Boeing 200 million US dollars (regarding 6.4 billion Taiwan dollars) for the safety of the 737 MAX passenger plane following two fatal crashes. Sexual misleading assurances.
In a statement, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Boeing agreed to accept penalties to resolve allegations of “negligent violations of the (US securities laws) anti-fraud provisions” that Boeing and its leaders “put profit over people.”
Former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg also agreed to pay $1 million to settle the same charges in a civil case, AFP reported. The settlement is the latest blow for Boeing over the 737 MAX following Lion Air crashed in Indonesia in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines crashed in Ethiopia in March 2019. . The two crashes together claimed nearly 350 lives.
A month following the Lion Air crash, Muilenburg agreed to a Boeing press release that “selectively emphasizes certain facts” suggesting pilot error and poor maintenance of the plane caused the crash. The press release also attests to the safety of the aircraft, but does not disclose that Boeing is known to have a safety issue with a critical flight processing system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Gain System (MCAS), and is in the process of redesigning it.
After the second crash, Boeing and Muilenburg reassured the public that there were “no surprises or gaps” in the federal certification of the 737 MAX, despite having very different information, the SEC said.
“In times of crisis and tragedy, it is especially important for public companies and executives to provide the market with full, fair and truthful disclosure,” SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said in a press release. “Boeing and its former CEO Muilenburg failed to fulfill this most basic responsibility. They misled investors by offering assurances regarding the safety of the 737 MAX despite knowing there were serious safety concerns.”
Editor: Qin Yingwen
