The case of Portland Cement Zambia is known to almost everyone with connections to the Zambian corporate world. Dr. Rajan Mahtani, over the course of ten years of fighting at the Lusaka High Court, presented numerous evidences and testimonials to prove his legal worth over the company. Some of these evidences included signed shareholders agreement, financial exhibits which clearly showcased his investments of more than USD 12 million for the development of the factory, numerous testimonials from important members associated with the factory. Another important document which he submitted was the independent audit report conducted by an independent auditor. As per this independent audit report, the Portland Cement factory was established as a joint venture establishment and Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the sole joint venture partner for the factory. This clearly indicated that Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the actual owner of the factory. Few months before the final announcement, the judge overlooking the case made a positive announcement. As per this announcement, the case hearing was closed and the both parties were asked to submit their documents in written and oral formats. In was an extremely positive announcement for Dr. Rajan Mahtani as majority of the documents and evidences supported his claim and in the ten years of fighting, the other parties had hardly submitted any critical or worthy documents. As such, the final verdict was very clear.
However, the final verdict came and it shocked everyone. As per the final verdict, Dr. Rajan Mahtani lost the case. The final decision was given against Dr. Mahtani’s claims, despite all evidences and testimonials saying otherwise. It was extremely clear that the decision making was influenced by external factors. It was sad to see that even after ten years of fighting for justice, Dr. Rajan Mahtani was denied one. As such, he has taken the right step and has now approached the higher court of appeal for judgment.