A former Taiwanese township chief close to Ko Wen-je fled to China days before his corruption verdict, a bad look for the Taiwan People's Party and for the courts' ability to stop fugitives.

• Chen Ya-lin, once the country's youngest township chief, got eight years for taking bribes on public works and misusing an official car.
• He slipped out of Taiwan two days before the January verdict and went to China, earlier than anyone assumed.
• The High Court branch has now issued a warrant after he repeatedly failed to appear for his appeal.
• He is the second Ko Wen-je confidant to flee and be listed as a fugitive, after Hsu Chih-yu.
• Court papers show he drew a large salary from a Ko-linked firm while also taking cash payments with no paper trail, awkward for a party that campaigns on clean finances.

Outlook: With Chen out of reach in China, pressure is building on Taiwan's courts to tighten exit controls on defendants awaiting verdicts.