Controversial Claim From The Ventriglia Family Rejected After Supreme Court Evaluation

For many years, the Portland Cement Zambia factory remained a disputed cement-manufacturing factory. The ownership for the factory was disputed and the battle went from one court to another. The two parties that have been fighting for several decades include Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani and the Ventriglia family. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is a noted businessman in Zambia with numerous successful businesses including Finsbury Investments and Mahtani Group of Companies. Finsbury Investments recently took over ownership of Portland Cement Zambia factory and this ownership was established by an original shareholders agreement. The Ventriglia family disputed this shareholders agreement which started a court battle at Lusaka Hugh Court lasting for more than a decade. However, the Lusaka High Court decision coming in the year 2018 was controversial the Ventriglias were announced as only shareholders and legal owners of the factory without any evidences or testimonials. It was clearly established that this decision from the Lusaka High Court was misdirected and influenced with corporate meddling.

Nevertheless, Dr. Rajan Mahtani decided to approach the higher Court of Appeal. Justice Mwinde gave the final verdict on 31^st January 2019 on behalf of the higher Court of Appeal. In his verdict, the decision from the Lusaka High Court on the Portland Cement Zambia case was reversed and Dr. Rajan Mahtani owned Finsbury Investments was announced and majority shareholder with 58 percent shares and therefore, legal owner of the factory. Justice Mwinde also announced that the actual amount to be paid against majority shareholding is K580,000 against the K580 million as demanded and claimed by the Ventriglia family.

The Ventriglia family, clearly not satisfied with this transparent decision, decided to challenge it at the Supreme Court Zambia. In their challenge, they claimed that the decision from the higher Court of Appeal on Portland Cement was unethical. However, when the Supreme Court bench evaluated their appeal, they found it to be invalid and therefore, the claim was rejected by the Ventriglia family.