Mong Kok Landlord Convicted for Failing to Provide Water Charge Information Amid New Regulations

WSD-registered consumer convicted of failing to provide relevant information or documents for suspected case of overcharging for water

The Water Supplies Department (WSD) announced that a WSD-registered consumer of three flats with subdivided units in Mong Kok, Kowloon, was convicted today (April 16) of failing to comply with the Water Authority's request to provide relevant information or documents for a suspected case of overcharging for water, in contravention of regulation 47A of the Waterworks Regulations. The consumer pleaded guilty to three counts of the offence at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts.

A spokesman for the WSD said that the Waterworks (Amendment) Ordinance (the amended WWO) 2024 has strengthened the power of the Water Authority in evidence collection and information disclosure during the investigation of suspected cases of overcharging for water. The Water Authority can request landlords and their agents, etc, to provide the tenancy agreement, receipt or payment record for charges for water. Failure to comply with such a request can be an offence, and the offender is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $10,000 and a further fine of up to $1,000 for each day the offence continues. It is anticipated that there will be more prosecution cases. The maximum penalty for overcharging tenants of subdivided units (SDUs) for water has been raised to $25,000 to deter this illegal act. Moreover, providing false or misleading information to the Water Authority is also an offence with a maximum penalty of a $25,000 fine and six months' imprisonment.

The WSD spokesman strongly appeals to landlords to apply for the installation of separate water meters for their SDUs, which can greatly reduce the risk of contravening the amended WWO. The WSD encourages the public to report any illegal act of overcharging SDU tenants for water for follow up and investigation by the department. The public can call the WSD Hotline 3468 4963 or WhatsApp 5665 5517 to apply for the installation of separate water meters for SDUs. The WhatsApp hotline also handles matters relating to water overcharging in SDUs. Alternatively, the public can call the WSD Customer Enquiry Hotline 2824 5000 to report cases of water overcharging. After calling the hotline and choosing a language, they can press "7" for reporting to staff directly.

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming passenger was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (January 13) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted the incoming male passenger, aged 29, at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (January 12), and seized 57 400 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of $258,300 and a duty potential of about $190,000, from his personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases