The former wife of a man accused of operating ''slum'' boarding houses has been fined for running a restaurant so unclean, hair conditioner was substituted for hand soap.
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But Li Wei's $10,000 fine may be unenforceable - the mother of two left for China after separating from her husband, Qiang Hua Fan, also known as Jason Fan.
Fan has pleaded not guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to 10 charges linked to five rental properties shut down last year.
His former partner, Wei, was last month fined $3300 in relation to one of the houses, owned in her name.
Within days of the houses being shut down, health inspectors conducted a routine check on the Charnwood Tai Ping Chinese restaurant.
Wei no longer runs the business, and the premises were comprehensively cleaned as a result of last year's inspection, but on July 16, 2010, she was the sole proprietor.
According to a statement of facts tendered in court, investigators at first found the premises so dirty, the restaurant was immediately shut down for two weeks, and only reopened after authorities gave it the all clear.
Wei admitted three breaches of food safety laws, and the matters were dealt with ex parte - without her present - before Magistrate Lorraine Walker late last week.
Two public health officers described the walls, floor and equipment in the food preparation and storage areas as ''unclean with a large amount of visible food particles, grease and oil-soaked cardboard''.
''Food was stored uncovered in bowls on dirty shelves and left in trays on flour containers,'' the statement detailed.
''The handwashing basin did not contain a single-use towel or equivalent facility to effectively dry hands.
''Additionally, the handwash basin was only provided with hair conditioner, not soap, was not easily accessible, and had items stored on and around it.''
In an interview with health officers, Wei said she found managing the restaurant tiring, and ''she didn't have enough energy to look after all the cleaning aspects''.
Wei agreed she did not maintain an adequate standard of cleanliness but said she ''didn't realise she had to clean the place all the time''.
Fan was also interviewed, and said he helped his then-wife run the business, and cleaned on occasion.
But he said the restaurant was never registered in his name, only Wei's.
The woman was found guilty in her absence of the handling and sale of unsafe food, the handling and sale of unsuitable food and failing to comply with the Food Standards Code.
In a letter to the court, Wei apologised for not attending the hearing.
''I note that there is a significant risk to public health in a premises being operated in this way,'' Ms Walker said on Friday.
But she said it was unlikely Wei would return to the country, so the fine might never be enforced.