KMT legislator Chen Hsueh-sheng has had his Legislative Yuan office searched by prosecutors and investigators over allegations that he lobbied on behalf of contractors and had those contractors cover the cost of his assistants — negative news for both the KMT and the image of the Legislative Yuan.

• Investigators searched Chen Hsueh-sheng's Legislative Yuan office and those of related parties, focusing on whether he lobbied on behalf of contractors and used the arrangement to fund assistants.
• His younger brother Chen Hsueh-huai, a former head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau who now assists with interpellations and constituent services in Chen Hsueh-sheng's office, also cooperated with the search and was summoned for questioning.
• The Legislative Yuan said procedures were handled in accordance with the law, but noted that as the investigation is confidential, the chamber has no knowledge of the details of the case.
• The Citizen Congress Watch criticised some elected representatives for still counting on their luck, noting that the proportion involved in corruption and in fraudulently claiming assistants' fees remains high; it said the integrity of Taiwanese politicians, while better than that of China, still falls short of Europe and the United States.
• The watchdog group said the KMT and the TPP have disclosed no information whatsoever about their publicly funded assistant hires since the 10th Legislative Yuan took office in 2020, while the DPP has disclosed close to 90 percent.

Outlook: The investigation is ongoing, and pressure for legislative amendments to the publicly funded assistant system and for greater disclosure will fall on the KMT and the TPP, which control the Legislative Yuan.