A Stanford scholar says Taiwan's fight over the Ko Wen-je corruption case is really a symptom of broken institutions, and the government is losing the argument that its courts are independent.

• Ko Wen-je, the former Taipei mayor, got 17 years in his first trial over bribery and misuse of political donations; his appeal has now started.
• Kharis Templeman of Stanford's Hoover Institution does not see the case as a political hit job, but says the ruling party will struggle to convince people that prosecutors are fully independent.
• The problem: President Lai Ching-te's pick for chief prosecutor was rejected by the legislature, yet is serving in the job anyway on an acting basis.
• Taiwan's split government — the DPP holds the executive, the opposition holds the legislature — has stalled the constitutional court, left the media regulator with no commissioners, and produced recall drives and impeachment fights.
• Templeman's verdict is blunt: Taiwan's constitutional setup is being tested for the first time and is currently failing.

Outlook: Expect the deadlock to keep grinding on, with Ko's appeal and his eligibility to run in 2028 becoming the sharpest flashpoint.