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Four men were fined $8,000 to $17,500 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (March 6) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in August last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at three clubs on Nathan Road and Dundas Street in Yau Ma Tei, which have been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the two clubs on Nathan Road for food or drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the clubs. They also found that the clubs' layouts had deviated from the registered drawings and the number of people at one of the clubs during the inspection had exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. Conditions 3, 6 and 19 of the CoC were breached. The two men, being the CoC holders, were charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
Apart from serving non-members and having a layout that deviated from the registered drawings, the club in Dundas Street had its exit route obstructed. The club staff also failed to show the CoC or the certified true copy, the registered drawings and the membership registers. Conditions 2, 3, 9, 17, 19 and 20 of the CoC were breached. The club was also found to have been operating under a name other than the one indicated on the CoC on the inspection day. The two male managers of the club were therefore charged with contravening sections 21(1)(a) and 21(1)(c) of the Ordinance.
A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal club operations.
Ends/Thursday, March 6, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:22
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