A key defendant in a Taiwanese legislator's corruption case has disappeared after tampering with his electronic monitoring anklet, and prosecutors and the Coast Guard Administration are mounting a full-scale search — an embarrassing blow to the judicial monitoring system.

• Chang Chun-chieh, a key defendant in the corruption case involving independent legislator Kao Chin Su-mei, discarded his electronic bracelet and fled; the Taipei District Court has issued a warrant for his arrest.
• The Taipei District Prosecutors Office, led by chief prosecutor Li Chung-jen, is coordinating the police, the Investigation Bureau, the Coast Guard and the aviation police in the search.
• Investigators cannot yet confirm whether he has left the country, and are pursuing two lines of inquiry: that he is hiding domestically, or that he has been smuggled abroad.
• The Coast Guard Administration is checking coastal areas, port zones and suspicious vessels to prevent him from using a fishing or commercial port to slip out of the country.
• His eldest daughter has long resided in Beijing, and he himself has overseas funds and cross-strait connections, making China one possible destination.

Outlook: In the short term the manhunt will focus on sealing off ports and coastal areas, while investigators also examine whether anyone helped him hide or arranged to receive him.