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A woman was convicted and fined $7,500 at the Eastern Magistrates' Court today (December 14) for managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Wan Chai.
The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Jaffe Road, Wan Chai, in July. An OLA officer posed as a lodger and rented a room inside the guesthouse. The investigation team found 19 rooms for rental in the premises. The woman admitted to being responsible for managing the unlicensed guesthouse.
According to OLA's record, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The female manager was charged with contravening Section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse and enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal guesthouse operations to ensure the safety of lodgers.
He appealed to the public to dial the OLA hotline (2881 7498), send e-mail (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or download a report form from the website www.hadla.gov.hk, to report any suspected unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA.
Ends/Monday, December 14, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:30
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