Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s Effort Does Not Go Into Vain And Higher Court Of Appeal Reaches Verdict On Portland Cement Case

The final decision on the Portland Cement Zambia case was announced in the year 2019, after more than a decade of legal fights across different courts. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is one of the most celebrated businessmen in Zambia who has made a name for himself with his honest, ethical and transparent business practices in Zambia and across the globe. Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s network across developed nations like United Kingdom have provided numerous opportunities of foreign direct investments in Zambia, improving the country’s economy. As such, the hardships faced by Dr. Rajan Mahtani in case of the Portland Cement Zambia highlights the plight of honest and straightforward businessmen in Zambia.

The case of Portland Cement Zambia is peculiar as it exposes the challenges of a legal and judiciary system marred with corruption and unethical practices. For this case, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani approached two different courts. First it was Lusaka High Court where justice was not given despite having approached the court for more than a decade. The second court was higher Court of Appeal which finally gave justice to Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s appeal.

Several evidences submitted by both sides were looked into by the Court of Appeal. The first major evidence was the transfer of one billion kwachas from Finsbury Investments to the Portland Cement Zambia covering the entire value of share capital for the factory. Furthermore, he original shareholders’ agreement is another critical evidence which according to the evidence was established in the year 2007 and in this original Shareholders’ Agreement, it is clearly written that Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani received ownership of 58 percent shares of the Portland Cement after making the payment and is not liable for any more payments associated with the takeover of the factory. Various other details were evaluated which cleared the air on forgery allegations and discarded them and on 31^st January 2019, it was announced that Dr. Mahtani is indeed the actual owner of the factory.