**********************************************
Two men, two women and a company were fined a total of $45,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (December 30) for managing unlicensed guesthouses and contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that from June to August this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected five suspected unlicensed guesthouses in Mong Kok and Yau Mei Tei. OLA officers posed as lodgers and rented guestrooms on these premises.
According to OLA's records, none of these guesthouses possessed a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance on the day of inspection. The managers of the unlicensed guesthouses were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel & Guesthouse Accommodation 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 report form from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk), to report any suspected unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA.
Ends/Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:41
NNNN
