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Three men, a woman and a company were fined $2,000 to $6,600 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (February 4) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in January and July last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at three clubs in Hau Fook Street in Tsim Sha Tsui as well as Sai Yee Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street South in Mong Kok, which had been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club in Hau Fook Street for drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club. The club staff also failed to show the registered drawings upon OLA officers' request. Conditions 19 and 17 of the CoC were breached.
In the club in Sai Yee Street, OLA officers also found that, apart from serving non-members, the club had a layout that deviated from the registered drawings and the exit route had been obstructed. Conditions 19, 3 and 12 of the CoC were breached.
Furthermore, the club in Sai Yeung Choi Street South was found to have served non-members, which led to a breach of condition 19 of the CoC.
The men, the woman and the company, being the managers and the CoC holders of the clubs respectively, were charged with contravening sections 21(1) or 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, February 4, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:35
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