Mark Pegram, whose 25-year-old son Sam was one of 157 passengers and crew killed in the crash near Addis Ababa, says the shock move is “unacceptable” and described it as “another slap in the face for the families of those who died.”
Relatives of the victims have now filed a legal challenge to the behind-closed-doors agreement to prevent Boeing facing criminal prosecution.
The challenge was issued after it was revealed a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) had been drawn up in secret with US prosecutors to give Boeing immunity without the families being informed.
“After everything that has gone before, the way the DPA was agreed in secrecy and without input from the families who lost their loved ones is another slap in the face for the families of those who died,” said IT consultant Mark.
“An agreement concluded where none of the families were consulted and which gives Boeing immunity is unacceptable.”
The families’ lawyers have called on the court to delay approval of the DPA on grounds that it violates the US Crime Victim Rights Act, as prosecutors did not confer with families before concluding the agreement with Boeing behind closed doors.
They say the DPA fails to provide any criminal accountability for Boeing and the airline company has never been publicly arraigned in relation to charges against it and, in fact, has not had to appear in open court once.
In addition they claim the US Government misled the victims’ families by denying the existence of an ongoing criminal investigation whilst working with Boeing to resolve the DPA.
Sam Pegram was working for the Norwegian Refugee Council and was on a mercy mission in Africa at the time of the crash. He and fellow UK nationals, Joanna Toole, 36, from Exmouth…