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A man was fined $10,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 24) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in December last year, the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club in Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, which has been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC). During the investigation, OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club. The club staff also failed to show the membership register upon the OLA officers' request. Furthermore, the OLA officers found that the club had a layout that deviated from the original drawings and it had not yet obtained the formal written agreement of the Secretary for Home Affairs before commencing its alteration work. Conditions 3, 16, 19 and 20 were breached.
The man, being the CoC holder, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
A spokesman for the department reminded all the CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal club operations.
Ends/Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:40
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