A Taipei city councillor says the city's ethics office broke protocol by telling the mayor about a corruption complaint the same day it arrived, raising doubts about whether the office can police its own bosses.

• Lin Yu-yi, former head of the Feitsui Reservoir Administration, was released on bail over claims he padded his official expense account.
• Councillor Miao Po-ya says the ethics office reported the complaint to the mayor on day one, before any investigation had started.
• Under Justice Ministry rules, the office is supposed to investigate first and only report up once it finds signs of a crime.
• Ethics chief Wu Tsang-fu admitted the early briefing, saying such cases are normally reported to the agency head unless the head is involved.
• The worry: if every complaint reaches the mayor instantly, targets get early warning to lean on witnesses or destroy evidence.

Outlook: Pressure is on the ethics office to rewrite its reporting rules so complaints stay confidential until an investigation is done.