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A woman and three companies were fined $1,400 to $15,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts and the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts today (December 16) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in May and June this year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at four clubs on Kok Cheung Street in Tai Kok Tsui, Wo Yi Hop Road in Kwai Chung and Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Nathan Road in Mong Kok which had been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
During the investigation in the club on Kok Cheung Street, 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 as members. OLA officers also found that the fire-resistant door in the club had been held open, the exit route had been obstructed and the club had not yet obtained the formal written agreement of the Secretary for Home Affairs (SHA) before commencing its alteration work. Conditions 9, 12, 16 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
The club on Wo Yi Hop Road served non-members and condition 19 of the CoC was breached. Apart from serving non-members, the club on Sai Yeung Choi Street South had the actual layout of the club deviate from the registered drawings, breaching conditions 3 and 19 of the CoC.
As for the club on Nathan Road, its actual layout had deviated from the registered drawings and it had not yet obtained the formal written agreement of the SHA before commencing its alteration work. Furthermore, the club staff failed to show the registered drawings upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 3, 16 and 17 of the CoC were breached.
The woman and the companies, being the CoC holders of the clubs, 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, December 16, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:17
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