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The Belt That Became Exhibit A in a KL Court
By Mihar Dias October 2026
There are many ways to arrive at court when facing a criminal charge.
You can arrive looking worried. You can arrive looking defiant. You can arrive looking as though you have just been informed that your favourite restaurant has run out of nasi lemak.
Or, apparently, you can arrive wearing a Salvatore Ferragamo Double Gancini belt.
And suddenly, the belt becomes the story.
Former FELDA director-general Datuk Faizoull Ahmad appeared at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Sept 30 to claim trial to a charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code concerning the alleged concealment of a power of attorney involving 16 FELDA land parcels in Jalan Semarak. Importantly, he has claimed trial, which means the allegation remains an allegation and the court has yet to determine guilt. https://newswav.com/A2610_ZGg3ho?s=A_kKeQrde&language=en
But social media, being social media, has already conducted its own fashion audit.
One netizen reportedly calculated that the Ferragamo Double Gancini belt costs around RM2,000 to RM3,000 and wondered, in essence, whether such a belt was appropriate around the waist of a man appearing in court. https://newswav.com/A2610_ZGg3ho?s=A_kKeQrde&language=en
This is where Malaysian justice acquires a fascinating new accessory.
Forget fingerprints.Forget documents.Forget bank statements or witnesses.
Follow the belt.
If the belt is expensive, the wearer must be suspicious.If the shoes are expensive, perhaps there is another charge coming.If the watch is expensive, MACC may want to know the time.
And if the entire suit is expensive, perhaps the prosecution should simply submit the receipt as Exhibit A.
There is, of course, a serious issue behind the joke. FELDA is not a private fashion house. It was created around the economic advancement of settlers, land development and the aspirations of ordinary Malaysians. Any allegation involving the agency's land or finances therefore deserves proper scrutiny.
But whether a man wears a RM300 belt or a RM3,000 belt tells us remarkably little about whether he committed an offence.
Otherwise, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission might as well establish a new department:
The Designer Accessories Investigation Unit.
Ferragamo Division. Gucci Division.Rolex Division.And perhaps, for the really complicated cases, Louis Vuitton.
The problem with judging corruption through fashion is that expensive things are not necessarily evidence of corruption.
A person can legitimately own an expensive belt.
A corrupt person can wear a cheap belt. A perfectly innocent civil servant can wear Ferragamo. A guilty man can wear Bata.
Indeed, the real danger is that we start confusing the appearance of wealth with proof of wrongdoing.
That would be rather unfortunate in a country where the courts are supposed to deal with evidence rather than Instagram.
There is another delicious irony here.
The Ferragamo Double Gancini buckle consists of two interlocking metal shapes. To the fashion industry, it is a luxury design.
To the Malaysian internet, apparently, it has become something resembling miniature handcuffs. Ferragamo may have intended to make a fashion statement. The internet has given it a criminal-procedure makeover.
Perhaps the belt should now be called the Double Gancini — Limited Edition, Court Appearance Collection.
But let us leave the belt alone.
The more important question is whether the prosecution can establish the allegation before the court. That is where the real luxury item should be found: due process.
It costs nothing, looks good on everyone, and unlike a Ferragamo belt, never goes out of fashion.
Until the court decides otherwise, Datuk Faizoull Ahmad is an accused person, not a convicted man. His previous CBT conviction involving FELDA funds was set aside by the High Court in 2022, with that acquittal subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal.
So perhaps we should stop measuring alleged corruption by waistline, watch, shoes or belt.
Let the prosecution measure it in evidence.
Let the defence measure it in arguments.
Let the judge measure it in law.
And let the fashion police return to the shopping mall.
Because if owning a RM3,000 belt is going to become evidence of corruption, half of Kuala Lumpur's wedding guests may want to reconsider their accessories before entering a courtroom.
In Malaysia, apparently, justice may be blind — but social media has excellent eyesight.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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