Country Heights says it has settled fees it owed the law firm seeking to wind up the company

• “As a public-listed company, Country Heights remains fully committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance, transparency, and financial responsibility. This swift resolution reaffirms our dedication to maintaining the trust and confidence of our shareholders, partners, and the public.”

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 10): Country Heights Holdings Bhd (KL:CHHB) on Tuesday (Sept 10) said it has paid the RM425,060 legal fees it owed to law firm Messrs Chellam Wong without any admission of liability.

Hence, Messrs Chellam Wong has agreed to withdraw the winding-up petition that the firm filed in July on Thursday (Sept 12) at the High Court, said Country Heights, which considers the matter has been fully resolved.

“This legal process does not represent a plaintiff versus defendant case, but rather a winding-up petition filed by Messrs Chellam Wong against Country Heights as the respondent. The petition is based on RM425,060 in unpaid legal fees related to services provided during a corporate exercise,” the statement said.

“As a public-listed company, Country Heights remains fully committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance, transparency, and financial responsibility. This swift resolution reaffirms our dedication to maintaining the trust and confidence of our shareholders, partners, and the public,” the firm added.

On Monday, The Edge reported that a written judgment issued by the Shah Alam High Court, whereby Judicial Commissioner Dr Choong Yeow Choy had set aside a Fortuna Injunction against the law firm on July 15, as the court ruled that the debt issued by the law firm was not in dispute. A Fortuna Injunction is a court order to restrain a creditor from presenting a winding-up petition against a company.

Choong said Messrs Chellam Wong had issued its latest invoice to Country Heights on Sept 22, 2023, which was duly acknowledged by the company receiving it.

“More than eight months have passed since then. In addition, Country Heights was estopped from raising any disputes in relation to the invoices as in an email dated Nov 9, 2023, from the deponent of the company’s affidavit. The deponent has stated that the invoice has been passed on to its finance department for processing.

“The deponent, being the head of legal [department] of Country Heights, had not questioned the work of the Messrs Chellam Wong, nor disputed the validity of its appointment or charges at any time. Based on the totality of the evidence before this court, it is satisfied that the debt was not disputable,” Choong said.

Following that, Messrs Chellam Wong filed the winding-up petition at the KL High Court on July 22, which Country Heights announced in August.

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