Taiwan's corruption case against independent lawmaker Kao Chin Su-mei has widened after one of her aides cut off his ankle monitor and vanished, which is bad news for her office and for the courts that let him out on bail.

• Aide Chang Chun-chieh, charged with helping fraudulently claim staff and government subsidy money, broke his electronic tag and disappeared while free on bail.
• Prosecutors say he met another of Kao's aides, surnamed Chen, on the day he ran, so they raided Chen's home and legislative office and took Chen in.
• Kao herself is accused of falsely claiming millions in staff salaries; prosecutors have asked for long prison terms for both her and Chang.
• The Taipei court had released Chang on bail with a travel ban and a monitoring bracelet after he claimed illness, over prosecutors' objection that he be held.
• A wanted notice is now out for Chang, and he faces an added charge for destroying the tracking device.

Outlook: The manhunt will keep pressure on the court's bail decision while prosecutors dig into who helped Chang disappear.