Man fined for illegal clubhouse operations
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     A man was fined $8,000 in the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court today (September 29) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.

     The court heard that the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection in June this year on a club in Nathan Road, Mong Kok, which has been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC). During investigation, OLA officers found that the layout of the clubhouse deviated from the registered drawing with extra numbers of tables and chairs. Moreover, the number of people at the clubhouse during the inspection exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC. Conditions 3 and 6 of the CoC were breached.

     The man, being the CoC holder, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.

     A spokesman for Home Affairs Department said that robust enforcement action would continue to be taken against illegal clubhouse operations.

Ends/Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:30

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