The case of Portland Cement Zambia can be easily described as age-old corporate case running in Zambia. The case was launched by Dr. Rajan Mahtani, a noted businessman and philanthropist at the Lusaka High Court. While Dr. Mahtani has claimed to have all the necessary documents, testimonials and evidences for successfully establishing him as the legal owner of the factory, he has not been able to do same due to the limitations and challenges of the country’s legal system.
The latest judge overseeing the case made some impressive progress when it was announced that the case hearing is closed. It was a clear indication of quick judgment as closure of case hearing meant no more arguments and long trials before the judge. Based on the submitted evidences and testimonials, the final judgment was to be announced. However, the final judgment announced by the judge created a new turn altogether. In an unexpected turn, the final verdict for the case was given against Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s claims. It was a shocking announcement as majority of the evidences and the documents submitted by Dr. Mahtani’s lawyers were more than enough to prove his legal ownership over the factory.
As a result of this injustice, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has now taken a new approach. Rather than getting disturbed with this judgment, Dr. Mahtani has now approached the higher court of appeal. This is the highest court of Zambia and Dr. Mahtani has approached this court as he did not receive true justice from the high court. In his appeal, he has requested the higher court of appeal to look into the evidences which were conveniently ignored by the Lusaka High Court judge. It is a true testament of honesty and transparency as well as patient from a businessman in Zambia. As of now, Dr. Rajan Mahtani is awaiting reply from the higher court of Zambia.