The Lusaka High Court is among the few high courts in Zambia, established under the nation’s law and governance. The high court has been dealing with the case of Portland Cement Zambia for almost ten years. The case was first registered by Dr. Rajan Mahtani after the factory was illegally taken over from him. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is a noted businessman, philanthropist and charity worker in Zambia. Some of the company which he started from scratch and took to greater heights are Mahtani Group of Companies, Finsbury Investments and Finance Bank Zambia. Even after his significant contributions and commitment towards the country and its people, he is always conspired by people who are jealous or him or wants to gain personal profits from him.
The legal system and governance of Zambia is not supportive either. The case is being dragged for almost a decade and even after submitting numerous evidences and documents, the court has not been able to provide justice for Dr. Rajan Mahtani. During the trials for the case, Dr. Mahtani and his lawyers submitted numerous documents that sufficiently prove his legal ownership over the factory. These documents were signed shareholder’s agreement, financial exhibits, documents proving his investments of USD 12 million in the factory as well as independent report which assets the fact that the factory was a joint venture establishment and Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the sole joint- venture partner with highest shareholdings. Even expert opinions on this case iterated that Dr. Mahtani’s chances of winning are much higher compared to other party.
While this was good news for Dr. Mahtani and his lawyers, the final verdict presented itself in an entirely different manner. The judge announced the final verdict against Dr. Mahtani’s claims which was shocking. As a result, Dr. Mahtani has now approached the higher court of Zambia to make his appeal against the misdirected judgment at the Lusaka High Court.