Taiwan independent lawmaker Kao Chin Su-mei's defense got much weaker after her own office director admitted guilt in court, a bad turn for her and a boost for prosecutors.

• Her office director, Li Chun-jen, pleaded guilty at the first hearing in Taipei District Court and asked for probation.
• Kao Chin Su-mei was charged in June with pocketing more than NT$7.87 million in public money meant for assistants, plus illegally importing Chinese-made rapid test kits.
• To win probation, Li spelled out how the fake assistant payments worked, which locks in the basic facts of the case.
• A township council speaker from Taitung, Kao Chin-shu, also admitted guilt and offered to do community service.
• With the people around her confessing, denying the charges now becomes very hard for her.

Outlook: Expect prosecutors to lean on these confessions as the trial proceeds, leaving Kao Chin Su-mei with little room to fight the core allegations.