The police and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department recently went to the unlicensed Jiu Hua Keng Barbecue Site to carry out high-profile enforcement. Diners who traveled comfortably were subjected to a gathering restriction order. Some persons in charge were also arrested.
Two of them were not wanted when they appeared in court on Wednesday (24th).
The reporter checked the information and found that one of the defendants had criminal records of drug trafficking and theft.
In the past five years, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has carried out 163 enforcement actions at the Jiuhua Keng Barbecue Site, prosecuting or detaining 243 persons, and 202 persons have been convicted, which means that an average of one person in charge has been arrested every week.
Despite many convictions, the barbecue site has been operating for 18 years and has survived. Some lawyers believe that if the directors are not charged, it will bring bad news to the public.
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The person in charge did not attend the hearing, one wanted for possession of drugs and theft
The Mei Foo Kau Wah Path BBQ Site was patrolled by the police last week and many people were arrested. Two male persons in charge were charged with operating an unlicensed restaurant. They appeared in the Kowloon City Court for the first time on Wednesday (24th). Without showing up, the magistrate issued an arrest warrant at the request of the prosecution.
The two defendants are Huang Zhichong (54 years old) and DE SOUZA Michael Anthony (56 years old).
Looking up the information, a person with the same name as DE SOUZA Michael Anthony had a criminal record of possession of drugs as early as 1994, and a sentence of possession of a device suitable for inhaling dangerous drugs and a crime of theft in 2019.
"Hong Kong 01" reported earlier that one of the shareholders and directors of "Mei Foo Jiuhua Trail Barbecue Co., Ltd." is the former member of the association "He Shenghe" Zhao Guoqiang, nicknamed "Chicken Feet Black".
An average of one person is arrested every week, the barbecue site still stands for 18 years
Unlicensed barbecue sites have been approved by the government to travel with peace of mind, and diners have to be subject to restrictions on gathering tickets. But why can unlicensed restaurants stand for 18 years?
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department stated that it has always been concerned about the unlicensed food business in the two barbecue sites at Jiuhua Trail. It has often taken enforcement actions and surprise detentions, and conducted joint surprise operations with relevant government departments as needed.
According to the "Food Business Regulation", anyone operating a food business without a license is illegal. Once convicted, the maximum penalty is a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment, plus a daily fine of $900.
From 2017 to November 20 this year, a total of 163 law enforcement actions were taken at the Jiuhuajing Barbecue Site, 243 persons were prosecuted or detained for unlicensed food businesses, and 202 persons were convicted. However, there was no clarification on whether there were any companies or companies operating in the food business. director.
Calculated on a five-year average, one person in charge is arrested on average every week.
The land rights of Jiuhuajing Village involve ancestral hall land, government official land and real estate developers, and the land rights are complicated.
(Photo/Photo by reporter from Hong Kong 01)
Barrister: The detainees have no intention to make the public think that the main brain can be impunity
Barrister Lu Weixiong said that if the directors of the company involved are not sued, it is meaningless to only sue the persons who are employed to be responsible, and it will bring out bad information to the public, thinking that the mastermind behind the scenes can get rid of the law.
He gave examples of prosecution cases by the Customs and Environmental Protection Department, and it is very common to sue the company and directors involved.
Before and after operating barbecue venue companies, both have company registrations and complete shareholder and director information.
(Photo/Photo by reporter from Hong Kong 01)
The barbecue site has company registration and complete director information
Currently and in the past, the companies operating two barbecue sites, namely "Mei Foo Jiuhua Trail BBQ Site Co., Ltd.", "Jiji 360 Co., Ltd.", and "Mei Lai Farm Co., Ltd.", are registered with the Companies Registry.
To apply for a QR code for "Travel with peace of mind", you must take the initiative to submit a business registration certificate.
All registration records contain information on shareholders and directors.
Regarding whether it is possible to sue the relevant person, Lu Weixiong believes that just looking at the documents is not enough, but the barbecue site involved has been operating without a license for more than ten years. As long as the law enforcement agencies collect more evidence on the spot, they should consider suing the directors of the relevant companies.
Barrister Lu Weixiong said that only arresting those present is meaningless and will make the public think that the mastermind can get away with it.
(Photo/Photo by reporter from Hong Kong 01)
Jiuhua Path Barbecue Site | "Woo Sheng Wo" former shareholder Jie Zu Tang has been fighting for land with real estate developers for years The person in charge of the barbecue site involved in the operation of an unlicensed restaurant. The two defendants did not appear to court officers to issue an arrest order.
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