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A man and two companies were fined $8,000 to $24,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 2) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance (the Ordinance).
The courts heard that in November and December last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at three clubs on Nathan Road and Woosung Street in Kowloon, which have been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
OLA officers found that the layout of the club on Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, had deviated from the registered drawings, and the number of people at the club during the inspection exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. Conditions 3 and 6 of the CoC were breached.
Apart from breaching conditions 3 and 6 of the CoC, the club in Woosung Street was also found to have breached condition 20, that the club staff failed to show the membership registers upon the OLA's request.
Furthermore, OLA officers found that the club on Nathan Road, Mong Kok, had a layout that deviated from the registered drawings, and served non-members. Alteration work had been carried out without obtaining the formal written agreement of the Secretary for Home Affairs. The club staff also failed to show the CoC or the certified true copy, a copy of the certificate of fire services installations and equipment, as well as the registered drawings upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 2, 3, 10, 16, 17 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
The man and the two companies, being the CoC holders of the clubs respectively, were charged with contravening section 21(2) 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/Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:14
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