The Lusaka High Court, which has been handling the Zambezi Portland Cement case for the past nine years made a new update. As per the judge currently handling this case, the hearing has been closed for now. The case is a long-pending corporate case between Dr. Rajan Mahtani, owner of Finsbury Investments and the Ventriglias, owner of the private firm Ital Terrazzo Limited. Dr. Mahtani also owns and runs other establishments such as Finance Bank Zambia and Mahtani Group of Industries.

The case is for the shareholding ownership of Zambezi Portland Cement, a noted cement factory in Zambia. The cement factory was previously lead by Dr. Mahtani. During his leadership, the Zambezi Portland saw surplus production almost every month. Furthermore, the factory took care of its workers and employees in terms of work environment, health, hygiene and wages, which were far above the Zambian industry standards. These factors also made the factory one of the favorite employers and more and more Zambian workers were willing to work and contribute to the growth and development of the factory. Looking at the condition of the factory post its illegal takeover, it can be easily assumed that the Ventriglias have no intention of developing this factory. It is clear that they illegally captured this factory just to make profits of its assets and finances and then leave the factory’s fate on its own.

During the trial, Dr. Mahtani has shared many evidences clearly indicating that he is a joint venture partner with the majority of shares in the factory. The Ventriglias have failed to submit any relevant evidence to support their claim. It is hoped that the judge will make a sound judgment for this case.