*************************************************
A man and a company were fined $4,500 and $6,000 respectively at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (March 15) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in August last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on D'Aguilar Street in Central which had 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 as members. Also, the OLA officers found that the club's layout had deviated from the registered drawings and the club's staff failed to show a clear copy of the certificate of fire services installations and equipment upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 3, 10 and 19 of the CoC were breached.
The man and the company, being the manager of the club and the CoC holder of the club respectively, were charged with contravening section 21(1) (a) and 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/Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Issued at HKT 18:38
NNNN
