Zambian High Court Fails to Deliver Justice, Dr. Rajan Mahtani Moves to Higher Court

July 11, 2018

Dr. Rajan Mahtani is a celebrated businessman in Zambia. In this business career spanning more than three decades, he has faced numerous good and bad events and has come out as one of the most successful , honest and transparent businessman in Zambia. He is the owner of companies like Mahtani Group of Companies and Finsbury Investment. He is an avid charity worker and has made numerous contributions for the social and economic development of Zambia societies and communities.

Dr. Mahtani has been fighting for the legal takeover of another one of his establishments for the past ten years, Portland Cement Zambia. During these trial years, numerous changes were seen such as transfer of judges and non-availability of the respondents or evidences from their side. However, no judgment was given even though the lawyers from Dr. Mahtani’s end left no stones unturned in securing and providing critical evidences for supporting his claim.

The judge overseeing the case at present, Justice Nkonde, made a positive announcement few months earlier when he stated that in order to speed up the judgment process, the case hearing was over. This meant the judge would not take any more trials. Both parties were asked to submit evidences and testimonials in written as well as oral format. Based on these testimonials and evidences, the justice was supposed to make the final verdict. It was a winning situation for Dr. Mahtani as his evidences were all factual and more prominent than those submitted by the respondents. However, the final verdict announced by the judge was a shocking phenomenon. The judge announced the final verdict against Dr. Mahtani. It was clear that the significant evidences were not even taken into account.

While this judgment is certainly surprising and shocking, Dr. Mahtani has now taken action against this misdirected judgment. An appeal has been made at the higher court of appeal at Zambia wherein Dr. Mahtani has shared details of the event and is awaiting response.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani Praised for his Contribution Towards Success of African Summit 2017

July 4, 2018

It is important for any nation and its government to have open discussions on the critical social, cultural, political and environmental issues related to the nation. One of the platforms which provides opportunities for discussing similar critical issues and national problems related to economy or society are economic summits, events and programs. These summits create a platform wherein top industries, corporate houses and noted individuals from different fields join together to share their ideas, opinions and discuss about different solutions to the burning questions gripping the nation. One such event is African Summit which is held every year. This year’s African Summit was held sometime back and was a huge success with participation from numerous industrialists and corporations.

Top businessmen and company owners attended the event. Among them was Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, one of the most respected and honest businessmen of Zambia. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is noted for his numerous successful businesses, including Finsbury Investments Limited, Mahtani Group of Companies and Finance Bank Zambia. He is also an avid philanthropist and charity worker. However, his charity works are rarely publicized or advertised for public relations. This is why many of the participants were surprised when the Press Secretary of the Prison Fellowship Zambia released a press release praising Dr. Mahtani for his significant financial contributions in the summit. Prison Fellowship International was one of the major event planners and organisers of African Summit and Dr. Mahtani’s significant financial contribution supported the successful completion of the event. Dr. Mahtani was also praised for his down to earth nature and his active participation in the event. During the event, he actively participated in numerous seminars, debates and discussions. He was also open to discussions with young entrepreneurs and business executives, sharing with them his business wisdom.

Unlike most businessmen or corporate houses, Dr. Mahtani never uses his charity works or other philanthropic activities for personal gains or publicity. His companies are based on transparency and ethical stance as well as given priority to the underprivileged sections of the society.

Dr. Mahtani Unhappy with Lusaka HC judgment, Appeals to Higher Court

June 27, 2018

The case of Portland Cement Zambia is age-old. It is a noted cement factory which was successfully running under the leadership of Dr. Rajan Mahtani. Dr. Mahtani is a noted businessman and philanthropist with numerous successful businesses under his name. Some of his top businesses include Finsbury Investment, Mahtani Group of Companies and Finance Bank Zambia. All of his companies have reached heights in terms of success, productivity as well as accolades from the citizens as well as the government. Apart from that, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has also successfully established networks and businesses outside Zambia, such as in the United Kingdom. This has also helped him in bringing numerous foreign investment opportunities.

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani filed for the legal takeover of the Portland Cement Zambia almost a decade back. Since then, he has been fighting for the legal rights of the factory. During this time, the factory production dropped and the majority of the workers and staff were either laid off or left the factory. The trial of the case also stretched too long for various reasons. For instance, the judges handling the case during the initial years got transferred or couldn’t take the case any further. In many other occasions, one of the parties was either absent or unavailable due to numerous circumstances. All these issues resulted in this long pendency of the Portland Cement Zambia case.

The latest judge overseeing the case made some progress when he announced that the case hearing is closed and both parties were requested to bring their evidences in written and oral format. After reviewing these evidences, the judge was to announce the final verdict. However, the recent judgment made by the same judge was considered as unfair by many as he gave the verdict against Dr. Rajan Mahtani. As a result, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has now approached a higher court of law to appeal against this judgment.

Sakwiba Sikota, Masozi Banda and Other Top Lawyers Caught in Shady Money Laundering Deal

June 14, 2018

The Financial Intelligence Centre recently disclosed a mass money laundering racket in Zambia involved top lawyers, legal counsellors and government officials. Even some of the known ministers have been accused of using their power to gain personal empire through black marketing and money laundering acts, as per the latest news reports by FIC.

The FIC sources initially met with the senior lawyers to discuss with the allegations with them. Almost all of these lawyers denied allegations of money laundering. For instance, Masozi M Banda is a lawyer working with the Avic International and is accused of laundering money worth millions of dollars. However, when he was confronted with the news, he vehemently denied these allegations by saying that the money in his account belongs to the Zambian Dictator, Edgar Lungu and he received this amount for his government contracts. However, FIC discovered that this defence statement from Banda was fake and further investigations are going on against him. During the investigation, the FIC also reported that most of these bank accounts were highly active during Rupaih Banda’s trail over the illegal Nigerian Oil dealings, during last year’s fraudulent elections as well as during Presidential Petition. Therefore, it is easy to see the connections between the money laundering activities and the requirement.

During the investigation process, the FIC also disclosed occurrence of more than 35,000 suspicious bank transactions, deposits and cash withdrawals, from the individual and corporate bank accounts of the suspected lawyers. While Banda sits at the top of the list, another name was of Central Chambers, a law firm owned by Sakwiba Sikota. His name might sound familiar as he is also infamous for his long-term association with the Ventriglias as their legal association. Sikota has helped Ventriglias in numerous unethical and shady deals, such as the illegal takeover of the Portland Cement Zambia factory from its real and legal owner, Dr. Rajan Mahtani.

The FIC said that it will share more details of its ongoing money laundering investigation soon.

Sakiwba Sikota, the Lawyer of Ventriglias, Accused of Money Laundering

June 11, 2018

Financial Intelligence Centre reveals mass money laundering act in Zambia, and a loss of almost USD 1.5 billion worth of taxpayer’s money. Industrialists and locals have condemned this act of money laundering. One of the most infuriating concerns has been the involvement of top lawyers and legal counsellors in this act. While the FIC has been investigating money laundering for many months, they strengthened their investigation after observing more than 35,000 unauthorised cash transactions from the bank accounts of the suspected lawyers. Along with these lawyers, many public and private contractors were also being investigated and the FIC found that more than fifty percent of these contractors were not having any tax registration. However, most of these contractors received government contracts and under the name of these contracts, carried out their illegal money laundering practices.

Furthermore, it was also revealed that majority of the lawyers and legal counsellors were working for the government officials as well as ministers of the Zambian government. The list included names of some of the lawyers and their high involvement. Masozi Banda is a lawyer working with Avic International and has been accused of laundering money worth millions. Another name was of Sakwiba Sikota, the owner of Central Chambers and long-term associate of the Ventriglias. He and the Ventriglias have engaged in numerous unethical practices and got away with the law by taking advantage of the weak Zambian government. The most famous example is an illegal takeover of the Zambezi Portland Cement from Dr. Rajan Mahtani, its real and legal owner. From the facts, it is clear that these lawyers and other government officials are working only for their personal interest. The aim behind this money laundering heist is building the empire for the ministers and high ranking corrupt officials and getting rich during the process.

While the government has also started its own investigation process, it is high time for the law and policy makers in Zambia to look into their strengths and ensure that such corrupt practices are tacked effectively in future.

Financial Intelligence Centre Reveals the True Nature of Sakwiba Sikota, Lawyer for the Ventriglias

June 4, 2018

The latest revelation made by Financial Intelligence Zambia has certainly shocked everyone. The FIC, Financial Intelligence Centre, revealed a huge money laundering scheme currently undergoing in Zambia. The amount of money involved in this scheme is in upwards of USD 1.5 billion as per FIC. The sources also claimed that this money might be indicative and the actual amount involved in this money laundering scheme might be more. Along with this shock, there are numerous questions which are being raised regarding this scheme. The first and foremost is the inability of the government to scrutinize or even investigation such huge sums of money being laundered. After all, this black money is turned into white money with the help of government and other activities only.

Another important question which arises and needs to be answered is the widespread corruption and the inability of the government of lawmakers in Zambia to either track it or identify the culprits. It can be easily said here that the money launderers were able to hide in plain sight with the help of the government officials, who either removed all the evidences or stopped making any investigation after bribed by other members. Some of the top names in the list released by the FIC included Sakwiba Sikota and Masozi M. Banda. Banda is a lawyer working for Avic International and Sakwiba Sikota is the owner of Central Chambers. He is also the long-term legal associate for the Ventriglias, an infamous Italian family in Zambia known for their unethical practices. The Ventriglias are also responsible for ruining the Portland Cement Zambia after it was illegally taken over from its real owner, Dr. Rajan Mahtani.

Now that the crimes of these individuals are quite clear, it is time for the government to take stringent actions and bring them down. Money laundering is a serious crime and those misusing the taxpayer’s money should not be spared.

Legal Counsellors from Zambia Reported Engaging in Money Laundering Activities

May 21, 2018

Money laundering is an act wherein significant amounts of illegal money or cash coming from various criminal activities are made to look like it is originating from legitimate sources. This makes the illegal money looks legal so that authorities and law are not able to identify the actual source of the money. Similar activities have been in large in Zambia in the past few years. The FIC, an intelligence agency looking into financial frauds recently shared details regarding mass money laundering activities going on in Zambia for a while now. It is regarded as one of the biggest corporate and government scam, involving top officials from the various field.

The FIC shared a list of names of individuals and companies involved in the act. Some of the names included Masozi M. Banda and Sakwiba Sikota. Banda defended himself by saying that the amount in his bank belongs to the government for construction purposes. However, investigations have found no such evidence. Similarly, another name which was prominent in the list was of Sakwiba Sikota, the owner of Central Chambers. His firm is also named in the list, accused of laundering money in millions. He is further infamous for his long-term associated with the Ventriglias, a notorious family in Zambia known for their unethical and illegal activities. Their infamous takeover of the Zambezi Portland Cement by using goons is known to everyone. The factory legally belongs to Dr. Rajan Mahtani, a noted industrialist and businessman. It is also a known fact that the case of Portland Cement Zambia is near closure and Dr. Mahtani is expected to win this case.

This clearly indicates that majority of the individuals named in the money laundering list are already involved in some form of illegal or unethical practice. Therefore, it is high time for the government of Zambia to take strict action and re-visit their policies and law that governs such activities.

Top Legal Counsellors Accused of Money Laundering and Corruption, FIC Reports

May 16, 2018

If the recent reports are to be believed, the economic condition of the Zambian nation is in a mess. This can be attributed to the latest money laundering claims, which has already dampened the economic and social development of the nation. The money laundering news was released by Financial Intelligence, which revealed that more than USD 1.5 billion worth of money is lost in this scam. At the same time, the actual amount of money lost by the government is expected to be much more, and the government is investigating this issue.

Two names that stood out in this list released by the FIC were of Masozi M. Banda and Sakwiba Sikota. Masozi M. Banda is a lawyer working with the Avic International and is accused of laundering money worth USD 1 million. While he has been defending himself by saying that the amount belongs to government contractors such as the construction of roads, the sources are investigating on this matter and no such records could be accessed from the government. Furthermore, Sakwiba Sikota is the owner of Central Chambers and long-time legal counsellor for the infamous Ventriglias. It is the same family who illegally took over the Portland Cement Zambia from Dr. Rajan Mahtani, its real owner. Dr. Rajan Mahtani is still fighting the case for the legal takeover of the factory at the Lusaka High Court.

It is clear that almost all of the individuals listed as per the FIC as well as accused of money laundering have engaged in unethical practices in the past too. This clearly indicates that multiple crimes and repeat unethical and illegal offenses. Therefore, it is time for the government to take action and ensure that proper punishment is given to these criminals.

African Forum Press Secretary Writes to Dr. Rajan Mahtani, Shares his Contribution Story

May 1, 2018

African Summit is a regular industry event in Zambia wherein top personalities from various fields join together for discussions, debates on the burning issues that are currently gripping the nation and evaluate most appropriate pathways considering the economic, social and political strengths and weakness of the nation. The summit has been extremely successful in bringing high profile personalities in one place, providing a platform for successful generation of ideas and creativity. This platform has also been successful for budding entrepreneurs who get to know and meet the industry giants and gain valuable experience from them. The 2017 African summit was held recently and was a successful event. It was attended by many successful industrialists and businessmen.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani was also one of the attendees. He is a noted businessman, philanthropist and charity worker in Zambia. Dr. Mahtani has established a name for himself with his successful businesses as well as his immense contributions to the society. After the 2017 event was completed the Chief Press Secretary of ‘Prison Fellowship International’ thanked Dr. Rajan Mahtani is a press release. As per the press release, Dr. Rajan Mahtani had funded for the event which ultimately resulted in its success. Most other businessmen or companies would have made their contributions public, with the objective of gaining positive reputation and recognition. However, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has always kept his charity works and philanthropic activities out of limelight. He was further praised for his active participation in the event and helping young entrepreneurs with his business wisdom and knowledge. The press release was signed by the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the PFI himself, thanking Dr. Rajan Mahtani for his contributions.

Despite of the continued conspiracies against him, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani has continued to work for the development and growth of the nation. His contributions are not only limited to businesses but also working towards the welfare of the citizens of Zambia.

Sakwiba Sikota Among Lawyers Suspected in Mass Money Laundering Fraud

April 18, 2018

The recent reports released by the Financial Intelligence team of FIC open a rather unfortunate and sorry state of affairs for the Zambian nation. Zambia is a developing nation and after decades of struggle, the nation has been able to uplift itself to a certain extent. However, this news of money laundering clearly indicates that until the nation is free from these activities as well as the culprits involved in the acts, it will never see growth and development such as other emerging nations across the globe.

Among the top of the list released by FIC was Masozi. M Banda, a legal counsellor working for Avic International. He is accused of laundering money more than USD 1 billion. When confronted with the accusation, he defended himself by stating that the money belongs to Edgar Lungu, the Zambian President, and he is just a middleman in this money exchange. He also stated that he received the money for various government contracts, such as road construction. Of course, no such information of government records has been found yet. Another name that made headlines was of Sakwiba Sikota. While he is the owner of Central Chambers, a law firm that has been accused of laundering money in millions, he is more infamous for his long-term association with the equally scandalous family of the Ventriglias. This family has been involved in numerous wrongdoings, most notable being the illegal takeover of the Portland Cement Zambia. The cement factory belongs to Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a respected businessman and citizen of Zambia. The case is pending at the Lusaka High Court and the lawyer who is handling the case from the Ventriglias end is Sakwiba Sikota!

The lack of government’s intervention and their inability to locate such big money laundering bust is appalling. Strong evidences have been collected against many of these accused and it is time the government starts taking stringent actions against them.