The corruption scandal surrounding the European Parliament is a mystery.
Why should Qatar bribe a vice-president who hardly anyone outside of her Greek homeland knows and who nobody ever thought of as a center of power in Brussels?
Eva Kaili's fiery defense of Qatar as lawmakers debated human rights in the World Cup country has only come to light now, after her arrest.
She could not prevent the critical resolution.
So far, the much more important visa exemption for Qatar has not depended on Kaili - but now that the corruption has been exposed, nothing is likely to come of it anytime soon.
It seems as if the Gulf emirate has taken Parliament more seriously than the EU citizens it represents themselves.
It is precisely from this mixture that the danger arises: the criminal machinations are suitable for forcing prejudices about a supposedly greedy and useless class of EU politicians, which interested circles have always fomented.
Closing the gap in the transparency regime
The vast majority of decent MEPs should turn their indignation into energy in order to now close a gap in the transparency regime of the EU institutions: lobbyists from third countries must also be included in the transparency register.
However, one should not delude oneself.
Such a reform would not have prevented a clumsy case of bribery like the one now apparently uncovered - and Parliament's battered reputation will not be improved that easily either.
The times when nobody had to fear the European Parliament are long gone.
Hungary and Poland, for example, have learned the hard way that they have powerful leverage in the fight for the rule of law.
This dispute within the European family is also a battle for the minds and hearts of the citizens.
That is why it is so devastating when a high-ranking representative of the joint representation of the people reveals an understanding of office that makes a mockery of democracy, the rule of law and morality.