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A woman was fined $3,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (June 20) for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Mong Kok.
The court heard that in December last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Mong Kok Road, Mong Kok. During the investigation, an OLA officer posed as a lodger and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The female manager of the guesthouse was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it is a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. Any person who is convicted of operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is liable to imprisonment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a $200,000 fine and imprisonment for two years.
He appealed to the public to report suspected illegal guesthouses to the OLA through the OLA hotline (2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or fax (fax number: 2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:36
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