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Three men were fined $3,000 to $12,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (December 2) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in April last year and May this year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at two clubs on Soy Street and Mong Kok Road in Mong Kok, which had been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
In the club on Soy Street, OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the clubs as members.
Also, OLA officers found that the actual layout of the club had deviated from the registered drawings. The club's staff failed to show a copy of the certificate of fire services installations and equipment and the registered drawings upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 3, 10, 17 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
In the club on Mong Kok Road, the club's staff failed to show a copy of the certificate of the registered drawings upon the OLA officers' request. Condition 17 of the CoC was breached.
The men, being the manager of a club and the CoC holders of the clubs respectively, were charged with contravening section 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, December 2, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:40
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