A Taiwanese opposition lawmaker accused of taking millions in bribes from contractors failed to show up for his own trial, drawing a rebuke from the judge — bad news for public trust in the legislature.

• KMT legislator Cheng Tien-tsai is charged with taking about NT$7.1 million from contractors over three to four years, with prosecutors seeking at least 10 years in prison.
• He skipped the Taipei District Court hearing, citing a meeting and sending only his lawyer, who said he was told at the last minute.
• The judge said the court respects his official duties but asked that he respect the court in return, pushing the next hearing to late October.
• His former office chief has already pleaded guilty and testified he personally saw contractors hand Cheng cash, sometimes two or three times.
• Prosecutors say the money was disguised as sponsorship for Indigenous harvest festival events, and donors got to use the title of legislative aide to help their businesses.

Outlook: The trial resumes in late October, and the testimony suggesting the payments went beyond the nine charged instances could widen the case.