Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) director of strategy Mohd Rafizi Ramli has filed a counter-claim against Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, pertaining to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) issue.

In the counter-claim filed on March 8 at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, he claimed that Shahrizat had launched a personal attack on him while delivering a speech at the Wanita Umno general assembly on Nov 30.

He also claimed that her words, which were published and repeated in the print and online media, implied that he was dishonest, disloyal and a traitor to the Malay race and Islam.

Mohd Rafizi is seeking general damages, as well as aggravated and exemplary damages.

Judicial Commissioner Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, who heard the claim today, fixed April 12 for case management.

On Jan 19, Shahrizat filed a RM100 million defamation suit against Mohd Rafizi and PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin, relating to their alleged defamatory statements linking her to the NFC issue.

Shahrizat is seeking RM50 million in general damages and RM50 million in exemplary and aggravated damages from the two defendants.

She is also seeking an injunction to restrain the defendants from making slanderous oral or written statements against her with regard to the NFC or associated companies.

The Wanita Umno chief claimed that both defendants had systematically and maliciously launched a campaign to “attack, discredit, malign and defame the plaintiff” by spreading vicious, slanderous and libelous allegations against her.

Shahrizat was represented by counsel Nurul Nabila Zamri, Mohd Rafizi by Ranjit Singh, and Zuraida by S Ravindran.

- Bernama