Scandal arises when a member of a community, by actions or opinions goes against the commonly accepted standards of the community and causes distress to the other members, perhaps even bringing the whole community into disrepute. Scandalous behaviour range from the involvement of political leaders with extra-marital sex, illegal drugs or unreported cash transactions to a member of a celibate religious community getting married.
A scandal, a term far overused, is not necessarily a crime, involve corruption or bribery. When it is shocking, this says more about those shocked than the person involved in the scandal. For example, to describe as scandalous the use of prostitutes by politicians in a society where this practice is not only tolerated but expected is simply to expose one's own naivety.