The European Parliament has been shaken by allegations of corruption after the arrests of several of its MEPs on suspicion of accepting bribes from Doha in exchange for defending Qatari interests in Strasbourg, a scandal dubbed "Qatargate".
Once hailed as a leader in lobbying transparency whose strict rules are at times "way ahead of its own member states", the EU has seen its image tarnished in recent days by allegations of corruption leveled against European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili along with five MEPs and parliamentary attachés.