The nation is still reeling from the shock it received after the final verdict was announced on the Portland Cement Zambia case. The case was registered by Dr. Rajan Mahtani, a noted businessman, industrialist and philanthropist, for the legal takeover of the factory. Even though the factory legally belongs to him, he has to fight for its ownership. The case is among the longest-running cases in Zambia.
During this time, the lawyers and teams from Dr. Rajan Mahtani shared numerous evidence and documents that sufficiently prove his legal ownership over the factory. He shared a signed shareholder’s agreement which clearly indicated the consensus of the rest of the shareholders. Furthermore, his lawyers have also submitted numerous financial exhibits which clearly showcase his financial investments in the factory’s development and growth, which cumulates to more than USD 12 million. Last but not the least; Dr. Rajan Mahtani had invited an independent auditor when he was still leading the factory, to conduct an audit of the financial and non-financial aspects of the factory. The independent auditor conducted the audit and produced an independent report. In this report, it was clearly stated that the factory was established as a joint venture and Dr. Rajan Mahtani was the sole joint venture partner of the factory. Rest of the members were simple shareholders with minority shareholding. All these evidence are sufficient enough to prove that Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the real owner of the factory.
However, Dr. Rajan Mahtani is not the one who can be disappointed. Instead, Dr. Rajan Mahtani immediately filed an appeal to the higher court of Zambia against this skewed judgment made by the Lusaka High Court judge. In his appeal, Dr. Mahtani has shared all related documents and evidence which were ignored by the high court judge. He believes that he will get justice at this higher court of appeal and is awaiting the reply.