***************************************************
A woman, who managed an unlicensed guesthouse in Causeway Bay, was today (May 22) fined $2,000 for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The Eastern Magistrates' Courts heard that officers of the Home Affairs Department's Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) inspected premises in Paterson Street, Causeway Bay in December last year and found two daily rental guests. The woman admitted that the unit was divided into compartments for daily rental purpose.
Record of the OLA indicated that the premises did not possess a certificate of exemption or a licence as required under section 5(2) of the ordinance. The woman was subsequently charged with managing an unlicensed guesthouse.
A department spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. He urged people to report unlicensed guesthouses to the OLA at 2881 7498.
Ends/Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:01
NNNN