A company and a man were fined $9,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 18) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in December last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Hillwood Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
        
     The club was found to have a layout that deviated from the registered drawings, the number of people at the club exceeded the maximum allowable capacity as stipulated in the CoC, and the club was also found to have operated beyond the licensed area. Also, the club's staff failed to show a copy of the certificate of fire services installations and equipment and the registered drawings upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 3, 6, 10, 17 and 18 of the CoC were breached.
      
     The man and the company, being the manager and the CoC holder of the club respectively, were charged with contravening section 21(1) (a) or 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 will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.

     Two women were fined $8,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (July 18) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in January this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected two suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Nathan Road and Temple 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 women responsible for operating and managing 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.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through 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".

     Police conducted a large-scale anti-illegal bookmaking operation codenamed "CROWBEAK cum WINDSHIELD" during the World Cup period between June and July, resulting in the arrest of 242 persons and seizure of betting records valued at $130 million and $4 million in cash.

     In this large-scale anti-illegal bookmaking operation, Police searched a total of 103 locations, leading to 82 successful raids and the arrest of 242 persons, including 175 males and 67 females, aged between 17 and 87. The offences involved were "engaging in bookmaking", "betting with a bookmaker", "dealing with proceeds known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence" and "operating illegal gambling establishments".

     Police also seized betting records totalling $130 million, $4 million in cash of suspected criminal proceeds and 46 sets of computers in the operation.

     In the operation this year, a significant cross-boundary bookmaking case was jointly detected by Hong Kong Police (HKP) and the Mainland Police.

     In June, HKP and the Public Security Bureaux of Shenzhen and Dongguan conducted a joint operation codenamed "BLAZESPIKE" against a cross-boundary bookmaking syndicate. HKP raided 27 locations, arrested 45 persons and seized betting records valued at $77.7 million and $2.5 million in cash. The Mainland Police arrested five persons in Shenzhen and Dongguan, and seized some betting records and cash.

     In addition, Police also carried out the following preventive education campaigns before and during the World Cup period:
– Police had closely joined hands with the Home Affairs Bureau and the Ping Wo Fund to promote anti-illegal gambling message through various media, channels and online platforms, for instance, setting up game booths at carnival, challenging the Guinness World Record, live broadcast of street drama through social media in districts, etc;
– Police produced an episode of "Police Report" on anti-illegal bookmaking and a Hong Kong Police Facebook video to enhance publicity;
– Posters and banners with anti-illegal bookmaking messages were displayed at entertainment premises, restaurants and strategic locations.

     The number of successful raids, the number of arrests and the value of betting record seized during the previous World Cup in 2014 were 97, 176 and $750 million respectively.

     A woman who went missing in Kwai Chung was located.

     Tong Ya-lai, aged 63, went missing after she left an elderly home on Wo Yi Hop Road on July 5 afternoon. Staff of the elderly home made a report to Police on the same day.    

     The woman was located in Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate yesterday (July 17) afternoon. She sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: 
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (IFFO) hosted a presentation session with the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF) of the World Bank Group today (July 18) in Hong Kong. At the seminar, the GIF discussed its role as a global collaborative platform and presented its project portfolio to more than 100 representatives from the private sector, including bankers, project finance experts and project operators.
 
     Housed in the World Bank Group, the GIF serves as a platform through which governments collaborate with multilateral development banks and private sector investors to design, structure and implement complex infrastructure projects in emerging economies. GIF's private sector partners represent more than US$13 trillion in assets and include pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, fund managers and commercial banks. IFFO joined GIF as an Advisory Partner in March 2018.
 
     Private capital participation is the key to bridge the infrastructure financing gap. In today's seminar, the GIF discussed its role in creating bankable infrastructure projects to further leverage private sector mobilisation. The presenters also discussed active projects in Tunisia and Vietnam to highlight the GIF's support in designing and preparing complex infrastructure projects. 
 
     This event is another example of IFFO's commitment in promoting deal facilitation in infrastructure investments and financing, and the high turnout at this event shows that the key stakeholders are keen to contribute to the development by using the Hong Kong platform.
 
About IFFO

     As part of the HKMA, IFFO's mission is to facilitate infrastructure investments and their financing by working with a cluster of key stakeholders. The functions of IFFO are:

• providing a platform for information exchange and experience sharing;
• building capacity and knowledge on infrastructure investments and financing;
• promoting market and product development; and
• facilitating infrastructure investment and financing flows.

     By establishing IFFO, the HKMA can play a valuable role as a catalyst in the facilitation of infrastructure investments and their financings with its mandate to promote Hong Kong as an international financial centre.
 
     For more information about IFFO, please visit www.iffo.org.hk.
 
About GIF

     The GIF is a partnership of governments, multilateral development banks and private sector financiers that facilitates private-sector investment in complex infrastructure projects in emerging economies. Established in March 2015, the GIF serves as a platform through which governments collaborate with international financial institutions and private sector investors to design, structure and implement these complex projects. The broad partnership ensures that well-structured and bankable infrastructure projects are brought to market in a way that meets the needs of governments and service users in a sustainable way. For more information, please visit www.globalinfrafacility.org.