****************************************************
A woman and a man were fined $8,000 and $15,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts and the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts respectively today (July 5) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The courts heard that in January this year and February last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected two suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Shu Kuk Street in North Point and Man Wui Street in Yau Ma Tei. During the inspections, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in these guesthouses on a daily basis.
According to the OLA's records, these guesthouses did not possess licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The woman and man responsible for managing and operating the premises were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
He appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA by the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".
Ends/Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:30
NNNN
