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Man and woman convicted of managing illegal guesthouses
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     A woman and a man were convicted at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (October 10) of managing unlicenced guesthouses in Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok respectively, contravening section 5(1) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The courts heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected two suspected unlicenced guesthouses on Fuk Wing Street in Sham Shui Po, and Portland Street in Mong Kok, in February and March this year respectively. During the investigations, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in the two guesthouses on an hourly or 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 days of inspection. Consequently, the female manager of the premises on Fuk Wing Street was sentenced to 80 hours' community service and the male manager of the premises on Portland Street was fined $10,000.

     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 (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the website (www.hadla.gov.hk).

Ends/Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:31

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