New Delhi

The US Justice Department has scheduled a meeting with lawyers representing families of the victims of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes.

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The crashes, occurring in 2018 and 2019, resulted in the deaths of 346 individuals.

The upcoming meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, is a prelude to a larger gathering on April 24 where victims' families will directly engage with Justice Department officials.

Reuters cited Glenn Leon, the fraud section chief of the Justice Department, who said, "As we have ... done previously, we think it would be productive to hold a lawyers-only meeting approximately two weeks before the conferral."

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This meeting follows an agreement reached between Boeing and the Justice Department in January 2021.

As part of this agreement, Boeing paid $2.5 billion to settle a fraud conspiracy charge linked to the flawed design of the 737 MAX.

This settlement also granted Boeing immunity from criminal prosecution for a three-year period, which concluded on January 7.

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Despite this immunity, the Justice Department retains the right to assess whether Boeing has complied with the terms of the 2021 agreement.

An insider familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Justice Department is investigating other violations by Boeing.

These violations, if proven, could lead towards criminal prosecution against the aerospace company.

The scheduled meetings are specifically related to the 737 MAX fatal crashes and not the mid-air incident involving a Boeing plane in January.

This distinction is crucial as the recent mid-air emergency has intensified government scrutiny and pressure on Boeing.

Families of the victims of the previous fatal incidents have expressed dissatisfaction with the settlement, which they believed allowed Boeing to evade criminal prosecution.

On other lines, the FBI has informed passengers of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 flight on March 19 that they could possibly be victims of a crime.

Letters reviewed by Reuters revealed that the FBI had identified the passengers "as a possible victim of a crime" and that an ongoing criminal investigation was underway.

(With inputs from Reuters)