Speaking to FMT, Mathew Thomas Philip, a partner of Thomas Philip Advocates and Solicitors, said Zainal dropped the suit after he was paid in full earlier today.
“He was promised RM28,000 but was only paid RM14,000,” he said. “Datuk Zainal however received the remaining sum owed to him this morning.
“Money is not the issue. It’s a matter of principle. He had initiated legal action in hopes that other artistes would also be paid.”
Some two months after the star-studded KL2017 closing ceremony, several artistes claimed they had yet to be paid for their performances.
Zainal was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying that he was told Putrajaya had appointed a company to handle the payments for the performers who took part in the closing ceremony, which was held on the eve of Merdeka.
Zainal said he had asked his lawyers to secure payment from the company.
The issue first came to light when singer-actress Adibah Noor posted about it on Twitter last month.
Writing in Malay, she expressed sadness that “friends performing at the SEA Games closing ceremony had yet to receive payment”.
Adibah said in one of her tweets that she was told the payment was delayed due to preparations for Budget 2018.
She expressed hope that the payment would be expedited, adding that it was not just the celebrities who had not been paid but also other performers, including dancers and children.
Besides Zainal, other celebrities who performed at the closing ceremony included Ella, Amy Search and David Arumugam of the Alleycats.
David however said he was not worried about the delay as he had worked with the company before and trusted it.
Celebrity host Aznil Nawawi meanwhile told Malaysiakini that he had been paid in full.