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A man, two women and a company were today (May 5) fined by the Eastern Magistrates' Courts for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance in four separate cases.
The Eastern Magistrates' Court heard that the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department conducted inspections in October last year on four clubhouses in Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC). In a clubhouse whose CoC was held by a man, OLA officers, posing as customers, went there for food and beverage without being asked to show their membership status or be invited to join the club as members. OLA officers also found that the layout of the clubhouse deviated from that as shown on the registered drawing, with extra seated provided and the number of people at the clubhouse during the inspection exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. These contravened conditions 3, 6 and 19 of the CoC. The CoC holder of the clubhouse, was fined $3,000.
In another clubhouse whose CoC was held by a company, OLA officers, posing as customers, went there drinks without being asked to show their membership status or be invited to join the club as members. Clubhouse staff were unable to produce the membership register for inspection upon OLA officers' request. Conditions 19 and 20 of the CoC were contravened. The company, CoC holder of the clubhouse, was fined $4,000.
In the other two clubhouses whose CoC were held by women, OLA officers found out that the actual layout of the clubhouses deviated from the registered drawings, with extra tables and seats. This was a breach of Condition 3 of the CoC in both cases. The two women, being the CoC holders of the two clubhouses, were fined $2,700 and $2,000 respectively.
A spokesman for the department said robust enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal clubhouse operations.
Ends/Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:16
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