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A woman was fined $5,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (April 19) for managing a guesthouse in Mong Kok without a valid certificate of exemption or a licence.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department (HAD) inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Prince Edward Road West, Mong Kok, in October last year.
An OLA officer, posing as a lodger, rented a guestroom. It was noted that a signboard and signage were found on the external wall and the entrance to the building where the guesthouse was located. Upon entering the premises, nine guestrooms providing sleeping facilities and one guest were found.
The woman, who was the keeper of the unlicensed guesthouse, was subsequently charged for an offence contrary to the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
An HAD spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse.
The spokesman reiterated that illegal guesthouses would not be tolerated and enforcement action would be taken against them to ensure the safety of patrons of these establishments.
He also appealed to the public to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA at 2881 7498.
Ends/Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:34
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