PUTRAJAYA, Nov 11 — Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil’s RM100 million defamation suit against two opposition MPs over the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal had lost its currency as the 13th General Election has already passed, her lawyer said today.

Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who acted for Sharizat in her suit against PKR federal lawmakers Rafizi Ramli and Zuraida Kamaruddin, said the withdrawal of the suit was agreed to by both sides.

“As you know, there was a statement of claim by my client Datuk Seri Sharizat, and also counter-claims by both defendants. Both sides have serious claims, but today we decided that everybody withdraw their case, no order to costs... everybody just walk away,” he told journalists when doorstopped here.

Shahrizat had filed the case against the duo on January 19 last year over their statements on the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) cattle-farming project involving a RM250 million federal loan.

The former minister’s husband and children held positions in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), the company involved in the NFC project.

The trial of Shahrizat’s defamation suit against Rafizi revealed last March that NFCorp had purchased a RM534,622 Mercedes-Benz in 2009 as a company car that was parked in her house.

In the trial, Shahrizat had also defended NFCorp’s purchase of three luxury condominium units in the Orchard Scotts Residences and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore worth RM42 million, saying that the buy was part of the company’s investment portfolio, according to her husband Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail, the executive chairman of NFCorp.

Shafee noted that the sole reason why his client filed the suit was because she believed the allegations raised by both Rafizi and Zuraida were aimed at swaying votes in anticipation of the national polls.

“When she filed it, she knew those statements were made because the elections were near and to influence the results of the election. That’s why she had to file it as soon as possible.

“Now that the election is over, there is no point pursuing the matter that has gone under the bridge. So for that reason, I think everybody thought it was wiser to withdraw their own case. Nobody is a winner, and nobody is a loser,” he said.

Sharizat, who was women, family and community development minister when the NFC scandal broke, came under intense public pressure over claims of abuse of power and misuse of public funds in the failed project.

Her husband, Mohamad Salleh, is currently on trial over charges of criminal breach of trust and violations of the Companies Act involving the alleged misuse of funds from the project, with the court set to decide on his striking out application on November 22.