A Taiwan county council candidate and his vote-buying network are unraveling after prosecutors moved to lock down suspects they say were tampering with evidence.

• Prosecutors in Yunlin investigated a councilor candidate surnamed Tsai for buying votes using fake household registrations tied to indigenous voting rights.
• From January to July, the candidate's mother and two canvassers allegedly helped outside voters fraudulently register addresses in Mailiao Township just to gain eligibility to vote for Tsai.
• Voters were allegedly promised NT$5,000 to NT$20,000 each in exchange for their support.
• After 16 people were questioned, the court ordered Tsai and one canvasser detained with no visits or communication allowed, citing deleted phone records, stalling tactics, and witness accounts that contradicted their denials.
• A second canvasser, who admitted more during questioning, was instead given a travel ban and ordered to report weekly to police rather than be jailed.

Outlook: The case is expected to move toward formal charges, with prosecutors likely to pursue the remaining suspects named in the registration scheme.