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A man was fined $10,000 at the Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts today (April 25) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that in August last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in a premises in Tai Om Tsuen, Lam Tsuen in Tai Po on a daily basis, through telephone booking.
According to the OLA's record, the premises did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The male operator of the guesthouse was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years¡Šimprisonment.
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/Thursday, April 25, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:00
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