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A man was fined $9,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (August 4) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in September last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Elgin Street in Central, which has been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
During the inspection, 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. The club staff also failed to show the CoC or its certified true copy, the copy of the certificate of fire services installations and equipment, the registered drawings and the membership registers upon the OLA officers' request. The OLA officers also found that the club had a layout that deviated from the registered drawings. Conditions 2, 3, 10, 17, 19 and 20 of the CoC were breached.
The man responsible for managing the club was charged with contravening section 21(1) 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/Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:40
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