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A woman and a man were fined $30,000 and $10,000 respectively at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 18) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that in November last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Tung Choi Street, Mongkok. During the investigation, OLA officers posed as lodgers and rented a room on a daily basis. Moreover, in January this year, OLA officers inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse in Kam Ping Street, North Point. During the investigation, OLA officers posed as lodgers and rented a room on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, the two guesthouses did not possess valid certificates of exemption or licences under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The female and male operators of the guesthouse were therefore charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that it is a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. Any person who is convicted of operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is liable to imprisonment. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a $200,000 fine and imprisonment for two years.
He appealed to the public to report suspected illegal guesthouses to the OLA through the OLA hotline (2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk) or fax (fax number: 2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:30
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