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A man was fined $4,000 in the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (December 1) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The court heard that the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection in July this year at a club in Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, which has been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC). During investigation, OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or invited to join the club as members. Moreover, it was found that the layout of the clubhouse deviated from the registered drawing with an extra number of tables. Conditions 3 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
The man, being the CoC holder, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
A department spokesman said robust enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal clubhouse operations.
Ends/Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:00
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