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A man and a company were fined $3,000 and $9,000 respectively at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (May 27) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in October last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at two clubs on Gloucester Road in Causeway Bay and Granville Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, which had been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
In the club on Gloucester Road, OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club. Condition 19 of the CoC was breached. The man, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
In the club on Granville Road, OLA officers found that the club's layout had deviated from the registered drawings. The club staff failed to show the membership registers upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 3 and 20 of the CoC were breached. In addition, the club was found to be operating under a name other than the one indicated on the CoC on the day of inspection. The company, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening sections 21(2) and 21(1)(c) of the Ordinance.
A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal club operations.
Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:16
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