Ko Wen-je's position in his appeal has clearly deteriorated, as co-defendants turn to guilty pleas one after another, leaving him with steadily less room to mount a defence.

• Lee Wen-tsung, former chairman of the Zhongwang Foundation, has softened his stance, saying that if the facts of the offence and the amounts involved can be confirmed, he would not rule out pleading guilty to breach of trust.
• Accountant Duanmu Cheng reversed his position on appeal and pleaded guilty, hoping to secure a lighter sentence or probation, parting ways with Ko's blanket denial.
• Peng Chen-sheng and Shao Hsiu-pei had already pleaded guilty in the Core Pacific City case, which led the first-instance court to find that Ko had taken bribes in breach of his official duties.
• Ko pleaded not guilty at both the first instance and on appeal, which is unlikely to work in his favour at sentencing and may instead carry the risk of a heavier penalty.
• Prosecutors have also appealed the first-instance acquittal on the "Little Shen NT$15 million" allegation; if the supplementary evidence is accepted, the sentence could start from 20 years.

Outlook: A breach of trust conviction would become final at the appeal stage and in principle could not be taken to a third instance, so if Ko cannot overturn the case, his chances of going to prison rise sharply.