Updated | Prime Minister mulled over Franco Mercieca’s waiver

Parliamentary secretary ceases private practice after apparent breach of waiver.

Parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca.
Parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca.

Adds comment by PN

Parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca will no longer be carrying private operations and has cancelled all operations.

Mercieca has come under severe pressure after it was revealed he was carrying out private practice during the week. But while in the past days he said he was in the stage of phasing out his private practice to stop it totally by the beginning of September, it appears that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has had a change of heart.

According to The Times, the Prime Minister on Tuesday met the junior minister at his office at Castille during which Mercieca agreed to stop the private operations immediately.

He will continue to offer his services free of charge at Mater Dei Hospital on Sundays and at the Gozo General Hospital on another day.

Despite the decision being taken on Tuesday, the Prime Minister refused to give any details in parliament in the evening. Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and whip David Agius had asked Muscat whether he had anything to add to reports of the junior minister out his private practice during the week, ostensibly in clear breach of a limited waiver - in written form and does not delve into specifics - by the Prime Minister to have Mercieca carry out his ophthalmological practice on Sundays.

But Muscat kept on insisting he would not be making a statement and walked out of the Chamber.

In an undercover video filmed by the Sunday Times at the St James Hospital, it was revealed that Mercieca on Wednesday carried our three cataract operations and six cosmetic laser eye-correction operations between 7am and 1pm, for a total of €3,600 for his half day's work.

Mercieca had previously claimed was only following up patients he operated upon before becoming parliamentary secretary and who needed further medical assistance, such as further cataract interventions. "If I operate on a Sunday instead of visiting a band club to see my constituents, I am (still) a full-time parliamentary secretary," he had said.

The Prime Minister himself had denied that Mercieca was carrying out cataract operations when asked during a press conference at the Palace. Muscat had then insisted that Mercieca was carrying out specialised surgeries. 

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@ serracin Il-veru m'ghandekx xi tghid. You should try to stick to the issues. In 5 years time we will see who will suffer electoral defeat -- when this country has gone to the dogs, as it always does under Labour, and as it will do even more quickly under this government that really has no clue...
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di tal-ksur tal-waver ma nistax nifima, jien nigba niksira meta niekola.
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was wasn't ex-Prime Minister Gonzi never mulled on David Copy cat Basket ball Hooligan Agius, and jet setting Tal-Lira u Good Causes Tonio Fenech to mention a couple from Gonzi's GANG of Ministers from Gonzi PN's pool of limited talents ? Friends in High places ????? http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Copycats-resign-David-Agius-doesn-t-take-the-Guttenberg-test
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@ Bruno You are right, i never gave 1st prefernce to Labour, but always voted Alternattiva. And this case, and your comments to try to justify matters by refering to the PN's blatant abuses, confirms that with the PLPN tandem we are going to continue the race to the bottom. We need a credible and honest 3rd party which calls a spade a spade, with no beating around the bush - simply because it is the honest truth that counts, not the naive vote catching charades and vested interests. Just another reason why the PLPN will continue to retain the same undemocratic electoral law, that erodes the chances of a 3rd party breaking this PLPN duopoly.
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Joseph MELI
All this ridiculous carry-on reminds me of the Old Jonny Nash song ...I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW!
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Emmanuel Mallia
@ tweetybirdie PN started the whole issue to deviate the attention from the so called defeat report, which they have now realized that the general public has not approved.
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Just answer these brother Did you take umbrage When Tomio Fenech you on a free junket with two tycoons? When the former PM gave himself and his cabinet a 600 Euro a week hike in secret? When Tonio Fenech got a tal-Lira clock from certainly no saintly person? When the cousin of Austin Gatt was appointed chairman of Enemalta? When the company to build the power station was chosen from the Yello Pages? When ministers and MPs lecture in University? Are happy now that Dr.Mercieca will cease practicing and some of his patients will have to undergo the procedure abroad? And yes he has every right to practice and have a political role. His actions are neither immoral, wrong or unethical. Let me tell it to you all I really hope and pray God that you don't incur serious eye trouble. In that case go as Simon Busuttil for help. You HYPOCRITES
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@ serracin What has your point got to do with this? Say something relevant please. This has nothing to do with the PN, and two (or one hundred) wrongs do not make a right.
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@ Bruno No, I am not unfair with Labour. As for your comments, (a) justifying something WRONG that Labour does by referring to something WRONG that the PN did is also WRONG, and (b) Mercieca CAN, and PERHAPS SHOULD, continue with his practice, BUT NOT AS A JUNIOR MINISTER! Hence the Code of Ethics. If he does not like it, and wants to practice more than to work as a Junior Minister, then he should resign and focus on his practice. SIMPLE!!!
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@ Bruno No, I am not unfair with Labour. As for your comments, (a) justifying something WRONG that Labour does by referring to something WRONG that the PN did is also WRONG, and (b) Mercieca CAN, and PERHAPS SHOULD, continue with his practice, BUT NOT AS A JUNIOR MINISTER! Hence the Code of Ethics. If he does not like it, and wants to practice more than to work as a Junior Minister, then he should resign and focus on his practice. SIMPLE!!!
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What happens if Franco teaches his technique in Italy.
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Emmanuel Mallia
Can the PN find something more credible to comment about ! As if PN was pure ! Why don't they reflect on their wrongdoings, rather than clinging to these silly issues! Why they do not tell us the REAL cause of defeat, and make official ALL the REAL issues, RCC, AG and others at the back stage !! Really a SIMPLE SIMON !!!!
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Micheal Bonanno
The waiver shouldn't have been given in the first place. It was a sign of weakness and a permit for abuse.
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Mr. Borg don't you think you are being unfair with Labour. You cannot compare 25 years of arrogance with what Dr. Muscat did. What did you want him to say? Grovel and say sorry. Dr.Mercieca was in breach of a waiver granted by the PM who after talking to him will cease to work privately. What more do you want? chapter and verse of their meeting? or a pound of flesh. The irony in all this saga is that if Dr.Mercieca was a lawyer lecturing at University everything would have been honki dory. Or if he went on private jet with two tycoons to watch Arsenal everything would have been normal. But performing state of the art ophtalmic surgery thus saving the eyesight of individuals and being a parliamentary secretary is a henious crime. You may never have voted PN but I am positive you never voted Labour either.
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@ spa2130 and D. Borg PN to PL is a clear case of 'from the frying pan into the fire'! And still 5 more years to go!!! Well, at least the inglorious PL are keeping us constantly entertained with chairmanships and board memberships, transfers, overtime cuts, etc...
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I believe that Franco Mercieca (FM) was a 'troublemaker' from the beginning. It seems that FM lied to the PM about his operations. I also believe the PM should have handled this matter better. I agree with D. Borg's comments here below. We cannot simply justify arrogance in this present administration because the last administration was arrogant in the first place. I think that a person once in power, his mind acts differently. As a famous philosopher once said, 'Power Corrupts'. It is a difficult temptation not to fall into.
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For those sour grapes and arrogant so and so who criticized Dr.Franco Mercieca i hope they pray that they will never be in need of his services.Dr. Mercieca is a humane and kind hearted but no one should take that for granted.
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Walking out. Arrogance at its best
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I have never voted PN. However my primary concern is NOT what Franco Mercieca is up to, but Joseph Muscat handling of the matter. I had faint hopes that things might change for the better from Gonzi's regime at times subtle arrogance - and looked forward for Muscat to admit that notwithstanding his good intentions, mistakes were made and they are now being rectified. However, some declarations, comments and decisionsmade by Muscat, just a 3 months into office, smacks of arrogance and having the cheek to trying to justify wrongdoings by comparing these to the GonziPN's gaffs is unacceptable. The decision to have Franco Mercieca ceasing his private practise is NOT out of conviction but simply of the usual vote & perception loss mitigation objective. This PLPN duopoly is really a rope around our necks.