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A man and a woman were fined $12,000 and $15,000 respectively at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (April 30) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance (the Ordinance).
The courts heard that in October last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, which has been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC). The OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club. The OLA officers found that the club's layout had deviated from the registered drawings and the number of people at the club during the inspection had exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. The club staff also failed to show the registered drawings upon OLA officers' request. Conditions 3, 6, 17 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
Furthermore, in November last year, OLA officers inspected a club operating with CoC in Argyle Street, Mong Kok. OLA officers found that apart from breaching conditions 3, 6, 17 and 19 of the CoC, the club also breached condition 10, that the club staff failed to show the certificate of fire services installations and equipment upon OLA officers' request.
The man and the woman, being the CoC holders, were 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, April 30, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:04
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