Country Heights Holdings' registered office was raided today by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) after the company failed to pay the assessment tax of several of its properties since 1998, said to be around RM9 million.

When contacted by malaysiakini , MPSJ public relations officer Shira Haniza Yaakob refused to reveal details of the raid, beyond saying that the enforcement division was "just doing their job" when raiding the office in Seri Kembangan, Selangor.

"Whether it is just a residence or a big company, if they do not clear the assessment fees, we will take action against them. It is part of our routine procedure," said Shira.

She added the municipal council had sent warning letters to the company several times but there was no response.

Business mogul Lee Kim Yew, fondly known as 'Country Heights Lee' within the entrepreneurial circle, is the founder and group managing-director of Country Heights Holdings.

The group earned prominence with the launching of major housing projects in late 1980s and has since diversified into manufacturing, education, international ventures, leisure and hotel - including Mines Resort City and Palace of Golden Horses.

A sinchew-i.com report today said the properties that have yet to pay the assessment tax are Mines Waterfront Business Park and Mines Resort and Golf Club.

Poor services

According to the same report, at a press conference after the raid, Lee said there had been unresolved issues between the group and MPSJ hence the municipal council should not have acted the way it did.

Lee criticised the municipal council for the "poor services" it had provided over the years.

"We have been collecting the garbage and maintaining the landscape in those places, MPSJ has not really done its part," he said.

He also said the company had long requested for a 40 percent cut in the assessment payment as they were "running the place on their own", adding that the two letters they sent to MPSJ regarding the assessment rate and the quality of the municipal council's service before this were ignored.

He said the municipal council's move, particularly that of informing the press prior to the raid, was "unfair" and could jeopardise the interests of his listed company and its shareholders.

The business tycoon also said he had always respected the principle of cooperation between the government and the private sector and he regretted that MPSJ had to resort to such a drastic move.

"We have some 1,800 employees in Mines Resort City. If MPSJ seals our office, then they will lose their jobs," said Lee.

"We have also contributed a lot to the area by developing the infrastructure there but they (MPSJ) simply did not take this into consideration," he added.

Also present at the press conference was company executive director Amer Hamzah. Lee later issued two cheques of RM150,000 and RM700,000 to the municipal council as partial payment of the assessment tax owed.

Meanwhile, when contacted by malaysiakini , the company's marketing director Ong Cheong Sek refused to comment on the raid, saying, "We are not authorised to talk to anyone from the press."