If there were ever any doubts that the Panama Papers scandal could wilt and die and be forgotten, proof that this has not happened nor will happen came when Leo Brincat faced the European Parliament committee vetting applicants to the European Court of Auditors.

For the very first question Mr Brincat was asked regarded his vote in favour of Konrad Mizzi and thus by implication the whole Panama Papers saga.

It is only little Maltesers who believe that in today’s world of instant information, the MEP needed sly whispering in their ears telling them about the Panama Papers. Today, information is instant, world-wide. A simple Google search will bring up countless news stories on any subject one brings up.

Regardless of any whispering in the ears, the scandal is there and will remain there.

Unless the prime minister (who else?) takes the drastic steps to cut the rot.

But he has been defending Konrad Mizzi et al for so long and so vociferously that it is unthinkable, even at this late stage, for him to let Konrad Mizzi go.

We have said many times the scandal is an albatross round his neck and so indeed it is. He cannot shove it off, he cannot shrug it off. He and it are destined to go on together, like Siamese twins.

By this time, he would probably dearly want it to go, want Konrad Mizzi to disappear, but he is enough of a realist to understand this is impossible.

There is no way for them to go up. The only way ahead for them is down. There is no way the saga can be turned to profit. In simpler words: there is no good way out. The only ways out are bad.

Any child can see this. The wonder of wonders is that our prime minister, a Doctor and all that, is either not seeing it or refusing to see it.

This is as good as any time to look back and see the mistakes. It was a mistake to keep Konrad Mizzi in Cabinet, a mistake not to investigate him by the tax authorities, a mistake to let Konrad Mizzi get away with it for preparing to hide money away from Malta when the government is always trying to get Maltese with sums of money abroad to bring it back and repatriate it.

Now nothing much can be done about what was not done in the past. What’s done is done. Or what was not done is not done.

There is now the danger all Malta may be made to pay the price for Konrad Mizzi’s deeds and for Joseph Muscat’s non-deeds. We are living some quite dangerous days as the EU struggles to mend what was going wrong in 2007 and to remedy to Brexit. The coming negotiations with the UK will be anything but simple. The EU will not want to appear as soft and countries such as Malta because of Konrad Mizzi who appear to be soft on money laundering will face the brunt of the EU’s displeasure.

It is for this reason that the very first question asked to Leo Brincat regarded the Panama Papers. For by them, thanks to Konrad Mizzi, Malta’s name has become toxic in Europe.