Man fined for illegal club operation

     A man was fined $20,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (March 12) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in June last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Hollywood Road in Central which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).
      
     The OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Also, the club's staff failed to show a copy of the certificate of fire service installation and equipment, the registered drawing and the updated membership register upon the OLA officers' request. Conditions 10, 17, 19 and 20 of the CoC were breached.
      
     The man, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening 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 would continue to be taken against illegal club operations.