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A man was fined $4,500 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (August 6) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance (the Ordinance).
The courts heard that in December last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Nathan Road in Yau Ma Tei, which has been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
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. During the investigation, OLA officers found that the club's layout had deviated from the registered drawings and the club staff failed to show the registered drawings upon OLA officers' request. Conditions 3, 17 and 19 of the CoC 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 CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated in the certificate. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.
Ends/Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:00
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