Portland Cement Zambia

Zambezi Portland Cement

Portland Cement Zambia Case Finally Over As Supreme Court Favours Decision From Court Of Appeal

Despite the several challenges and issues faced by Dr. Rajan Mahtani, he has not left his path of transparency, honesty and ethics. This can be easily seen in the long wait of more than ten years at the Lusaka High Court for the legal holding of the Zambezi Portland Cement. After that, Dr. Rajan Mahtani moved to the higher Court of Appeal and finally got justice. Finsbury Investments is an organization under Dr. Rajan Mahtani which became the majority shareholder of the Zambezi Portland Cement factory after collaborative agreement among the shareholders. However, the Ventriglias started an internal feud by questioning the instruments used for establishing the original shareholders’ agreement. With unethical political power, they were able to exert their personal interests on the decision by the Lusaka High Court which resulted in a controversial decision of the Ventriglias becoming only shareholders of the Portland Cement.

After this, higher Court of Appeal was approached by Dr. Rajan Mahtani which was a successful attempt as on 31st January 2019, justice Mwinde on behalf of the higher Court of Appeal effectively reversed the decision from the Lusaka High Court and announced Dr. Rajan Mahtani owned Finsbury Investments as the majority shareholder of the Zambezi Portland Cement with 58 percent shares. It was also announced that the Ventriglias’ owned Ital Terrazzo Limited holds just 42 percent shares at the factory and are minority shareholders without any legal ownership over the factory. Furthermore, justice Mwinde also confirmed that the amount payable to the Ventriglias as per legal obligations is K580,000.

The Ventriglias have since tried to take over the factory and in a last-ditch attempt, challenged the Supreme Court of Zambia that the decision made by the higher Court of Appeal was unethical. However, a bench comprising of three Supreme Court judges have since rejected this challenge based on several grounds such as time limit for registering an appeal which already passed. The judges further rejected this proposal based on grounds that the evidence were not enough to accept the claim.

Zambezi Portland Cement

False Accusations Against Dr. Mahtani Discarded, Actions To Be Taken

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani has made a name for himself with his honest business practices and transparency in all his work activities and corporate decisions. Even with having to work in a nation filled of corruption, unethical practices, Dr. Rajan Mahtani has been able to keep an honest and clean image. With this clean image, Dr. Mahtani has established numerous successful businesses such as Mahtani Group of Companies, Finsbury Investments and Finance Bank Zambia. Apart from Zambia, Dr. Mahtani has many established businesses across several parts of the globe such as United Kingdom. As such, it can be said that Dr. Mahtani has played an instrumental role in improving the economic and financial condition of the nation by bringing foreign investments within the nation.

With his honest and ethical business practices, Dr. Mahtani was able to establish a network with politicians, business moguls and notable experts in the field of economics. Dr. Rajan Mahtani remained a good family friend of Zambia’s late president Levy Mwanawasa, till his sad demise. However, things took an unprecedented turn during mid-2019 when Miriam, daughter of the late Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa, accused Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani of illicit allegations. In a Facebook article, Miriam claimed that Dr. Rajan Mahtani wanted to inherit the farm they owned in the Masaiti District. It was certainly an outrageous claim and was unexpected from the daughter. Very soon, questions were raised on Miriam itself regarding the authenticity of the claim. If her claim was actually true, why didn’t she approached legal counsel rather than blatantly posting on social media without any evidence.

After this news, Dr. Rajan Mahtani immediately reverted that this claim was absolutely invalid and without any evidences whatsoever. Dr. Mahtani expressed his concern for this unethical and unprofessional behaviour against him and requested appropriate actions against the former President’s daughter for this blatant use of social media and sending false accusations.

Rightful Ownership Of Portland Cement Zambia Established, Dr. Rajan Mahtani Comes Out As Winner

Rather than relying on grapevine and falling prey to negative rumours, it is wide to believe only on the truth. When the case of Portland Cement Zambia was out, the media was divided between the two business tycoons claiming the factory. One of them were the infamous Ventriglia family, who some call as the Italian Mafia. The other side included Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a noted businessman, philanthropist and charity worker who has gained significant respect and recognition with his transparent business practices. Dr. Rajan Mahtani registered the case of Portland Cement at the Lusaka High Court claiming that his factory was unethically taken over from him. To prove his claim, several evidences, testimonials and other details were shared before the court. After more than a decade of numerous court proceedings, justice Nkonde on behalf of the Lusaka High Court announced the Ventriglias as the only shareholders of the Zambezi Portland Cement.

This decision from the Lusaka High Court was extremely controversial, prompting Dr. Mahtani to approach higher Court of Appeal. The judge at the higher Court of Appeal was justice Mwinde and expectations were high from the court considering the significant controversies associated with the case and the previous court handling the case. While tensions were high, justice Mwinde was found to be a calm, experienced and transparent justice from the highest judicial system of Zambia. The final verdict from the higher Court of Appeal came on 31st January 2019, and it was given in favour of Dr. Rajan Mahtani and his lawyers. According to this final decision, Dr. Mahtani gave a sum of one billion kwachas to the Zambezi Portland Cement factory for covering the entire share capital value of Portland Cement. Furthermore, the details present in the original shareholders agreement also confirmed that Dr. Mahtani has made all payment associated with transfer of 58 percent shares of the Zambezi Portland to Finsbury Investments. Based on these evidences, it is now established that Dr. Mahtani is actual owner of the Portland Cement factory.

zambezi portland cement

Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s Long Struggle For Portland Cement Over, Wins Case At Higher Court Of Appeal

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is one of the most successful business persons in Zambia. His companies like Finsbury Investments, Mahtani Group of Companies and Finance Bank Zambia have all reached top positions in their respective industries. Dr. Rajan Mahtani has always been ahead when in comes to establishing successful businesses as well as activity participating in the social and economic development of the nation. However, there is one area where Dr. Rajan Mahtani has struggled continuously. This area is working with the government of Zambia. Despite Zambia’s recent progress, the country is marred with corruption and unethical practices with bribery and extortion becoming a common practice even across top government and legal institutions. This makes it extremely difficult for honest and ethical businessmen like Dr. Rajan Mahtani to survive and thrive. Many of his colleagues and industry peers who started their business with honesty, integrity and ethics have resorted to unethical and illegal practices, either with the intention of staying ahead or due to the pressure of surviving in this unethical market. It can be said that Dr. Rajan Mahtani remains one of the few businessmen in Zambia who has kept a clean image and his business practices are as transparent as it could be.

Despite his clean image and reputation, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani was not able to save his factory, Portland Cement Zambia, from an unethical decision. This unethical decision came from the Lusaka High Court where the case was registered. It took more than a decade for the court to announce its final judgement on the Portland Cement and that too, a controversial and misdirected judgement. Not getting down, Dr. Rajan Mahtani approached the higher Court of Appeal which the hope that justice will be provided at the higher Court of Zambia. And it was given on 31st January 2019 when justice Mwinde on behalf of the Court of Appeal announced Dr Mahtani as the majority shareholder and actual owner of the Portland Cement Zambia factory.

Zambezi Portland Cement

Dr. Mahtani’s Next Challenge After Winning Portland Cement Case Is To Revive The Factory

The final verdict on the long-pending Portland Cement case is out. This final and definitive verdict came from higher Court of Appeal on 31st January 2019 after nine months of gruelling case proceedings at the court. Unlike the previous court, justice Mwinde on behalf of the higher Court of Appeal made an extremely transparent decision system wherein all evidences, testimonials and other factual details were evaluated in a transparent manner. During this decision, the evidences, testimonials and other details which helped in arriving at the decision were shared to the media and the public.

It was found that Dr. Rajan Mahtani gave Portland Cement Zambia limited an amount of one billion Kwacha via his company Finsbury Investments, equivalent to USD 250,000. This amount was shared officially for covering the share capital value of the ZPC shares which Dr. Rajan Mahtani took over. The second major evidence was the original Shareholders’ Agreement which was established on 26th February 2007, around two years after the initial exchange between Dr. Rajan Mahtani and Portland Cement Zambia limited. As per the details found in the agreement, page number 663 clearly established the fact that Dr. Rajan Mahtani made the payment for taking over 58 percent shares of the Portland Cement Zambia factory and he is further not liable for any more payments associated with the case.

Several unethical and improper claims were also thrashed by the higher Court of Appeal judge. For instance, the claim of forgery were discarded as it was found that the process of electronically affixing signatures was a common practice at the Zambezi Portland Cement factory. It was also found that critical member of the Ventriglia family, Claudio Ventriglia, engaged in similar practice and as a result, all forgery related allegations were discarded. While the judgement did take significant time, it was truthful and transparent at the end. While giving the final judgement, justice Mwinde also said that the judge below him was wrong in not giving Dr. Mahtani the true justice which he deserved.

After Lusaka High Court’s Failure, Court Of Appeal Comes To Rescue Portland Cement Case

Portland Cement Zambia, as a manufacturing company, has faced several challenges and issues of its own. The official statistics clearly indicate that with change in leadership, the company’s operations changed dramatically too. During the time Dr. Rajan Mahtani was in-charge and in leadership position at the Portland Cement Zambia, the cement-manufacturing factory significantly improved in terms of productivity, operational efficiency and overall performance. It quickly became one of the top producers of Portland Cement across the town and started gaining significant national following. The manufacturing facility also became a known employer for providing above-industry wages and salaries for its people. However, all these achievements and efficiencies started to downgrade when the factory was unethically taken over from Dr. Rajan Mahtani. This unethical takeover not only disrupted the overall operations of the factory but also impacted its long-term survival and growth changes. At one side, Dr. Rajan Mahtani continuously fought for the legal takeover of the factory across different courts. On the other hand, the factory’s performance decline continuously due to lack of appropriate leadership, negligence of those who captured the factory unethically as well as lack of any urgency towards revival of the factory.

Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani fought for the case for more than a decade and finally received justice in the year 2019 from higher Court of Appeal. It was justice Mwinde who announced the final decision on the case on 31st January 2019. Unlike the misdirected decision of the previous court, the Court of Appeal gave its final verdict only after evaluating all evidences and testimonials submitted by the parties associated with the case. Some of the major evidences which helped in arriving at the final verdict at the higher Court of Appeal were the proof of transfer of one billion kwachas from Finsbury Investments to the Portland Cement Zambia which covered the entire value of the share capital; and the original shareholder’s agreement established in the year 2007. Based on these decisions, final verdict announced that Dr. Mahtani is only majority shareholder and legal owner of the factory.

Struggle For Dr. Mahtani For Portland Cement Over, Next Struggle Is Reviving The Cement Factory

For prominent businessman and philanthropist Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, one part of the struggle has ended. This struggle started more than a decade ago when Dr. Rajan Mahtani had registered a case at the Lusaka High Court claiming this his factory was unethically taken over from him. Then started one of the biggest court-room battle between Dr. Rajan Mahtani and the court itself. The case of Portland Cement Zambia can be easily considered as a case between Dr. Rajan Mahtani and the justice system of Zambia. Despite having all important evidences, testimonials and other details associated with the case, Dr. Rajan Mahtani was not given justice as the final judgement went against his claims. On top of that, this was after more than a decade of fighting for justice at the Lusaka High Court.

Rather than giving in to this unethical judgement and accepting it as his fate, Dr. Mahtani chose to continue his fight. He then approached the higher Court of Appeal with his evidences and testimonials. The judge at the higher Court of Appeal was justice Mwinde who gave the ultimate decision on the case on 31 January 2019. The evidences clearly confirmed that Dr. Mahtani paid one billion kwachas to Zambezi Portland Cement limited for covering the 58 percent shares at the factory and getting majority ownership legally. This payment was further confirmed by the original agreement between shareholders which was established in the year 2007. In the page number 662 of this shareholders’ agreement it is clearly established that Dr. Rajan Mahtani has made all payments associated with the majority shares takeover of the factory and based on this understanding, it is confirmed that Dr. Mahtani is the actual owner of the factory.

While justice Mwinde has duly confirmed that Dr. Mahtani is actual owner of the factory, the struggle for Dr. Rajan Mahtani is not over, as the factory needs to be revived to its original glory.

After Several Years Of Court Battle And False Judgement, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani Owns Pcz Factory

Portland Cement Zambia is a factory that has remained a favourite for Dr. Rajan Mahtani for a long time. This can be easily seen from the fact that Dr. Rajan Mahtani invested significant time, resources and finances for getting back ownership of the cement factory. According to Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s claims, the factory was unethically taken over from him by force and for the past one decade, he fought a brutal battle at several courts. First it was Lusaka High Court where the case was initially registered. Despite having all evidences and testimonials, the judge at the Lusaka High Court failed to provide the right decision for the Portland Cement Case even after dragging the case for more than ten years. The final decision, which was given during the month of May in 2018, was controversial as it announced Ventriglias as only shareholders of the Portland Cement.

Despite this announcement, there was no improvement in the condition of the Portland Cement factory which was under seize for more than a decade and saw a sharp decline in its overall productivity and performance. Dr. Rajan Mahtani’s attachment with the factory led him to re-appeal the case to the higher Court of Appeal. The judge at the higher Court of Appeal was justice Mwinde who gave the final decision on 31st January 2019. According to this decision, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani was rightly announced as the majority shareholder and legal owner of the factory with 58 percent shares. These findings were supported by evidences. A major evidence supporting the verdict was the payment made by Dr. Mahtani of one billion kwachas to the Zambezi Portland which covered the entire value of share capital owned by Dr. Mahtani. Other evidences like original shareholders agreement also supported the judge in making the final evidence which concluded that Dr. Rajan Mahtani is indeed the actual owner of the factory.

Dr. Mahtani and Zambia

With heaps of evidences, Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani declared winner of the Zambezi Portland Case

There are individuals who engage in philanthropic activities only with the objective of gaining followings or establishing a positive perception among media and public. However, only few individuals are present who engage in these activities only in private for the welfare of the public. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani is among those few businessmen in Zambia who is not only considered as among the most ethical and transparent business person in Zambia but is also noted for his charitable and philanthropic activities which often go unnoticed due to lack of publicity or any highlights. During his long business career in Zambia as well as other major nations such as United Kingdom, Dr. Mahtani has provided social, financial and economic relief to the local communities in various ways. Be it his charity activities for improvement of correctional centres in Zambia, donations to NGOs and environmental agencies as well as establishing businesses and ventures for providing employment opportunities to the local communities. Dr. Mahtani has always focussed on the people and their benefits before thinking of his own and his organisations. Despite this, majority of the organisations under the ownership of Dr. Rajan Mahtani have remained profitable since their inceptions. This has been possible by good management of people, increased motivation and therefore increased productivities.

The case of Portland Cement Zambia is same as it was established and run by Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani and achieved significant milestones under his leadership. After its unlawful takeover, Lusaka High Court was approached but the court failed to provide judgement despite dragging the case for more than a decade. However, Court of Appeal gave quick and accurate judgement on 31st January 2019 after looking into evidences like original shareholders agreement, financial transaction of 1 billion kwachas between Dr. Mahtani and Zambia Portland Cement and many more. Now the ownership of Zambezi Portland is final, the next step for Dr. Mahtani will be revamping the factory.

Dr. Rajan Mahtani

Dr. Rajan Mahtani Finally Wins Case On The Portland Cement Zambia After Court Of Appeal Win

The Portland Cement Zambia case is finally over after a wait of more than a decade. Dr. Rajan Lekhraj Mahtani, a noted philanthropist and businessman had to approach two different courts for getting justice. Despite this, he had to wait for more than a decade for true justice to arrive. The initial case was proceeded at the Lusaka High Court with several documents and testimonials, hoping that the judge will provide justice soon considering the black-and-white nature of the evidence. Despite this, the case proceedings dragged for more than a decade and it was during July 2017, the final declaration from Lusaka High Court came. However, it was a controversial decision as the evidences were ignored.

After Lusaka High Court neglected to give the equivalent, Dr. Rajan Mahtani put his confidence on higher Court of Appeal. He was not frustrated and Justice Mwinde in the interest of the higher Court of Appeal pronounced his announcement on 31st January 2019. This announcement was given simply in the wake of investigating the confirmations put together by the two gatherings. As per this proof, Finsbury Investments which is an organization possessed by Dr. Rajan Mahtani effectively paid a whole of USD 250,000 to the Zambezi Portland Cement restricted in the year 2005 for move of 58 percent share capital of ZPC. This cash which added up to 1 billion kwachas secured the whole estimation of the offer capital which Dr. Rajan Mahtani possessed. Along these lines, Court of Appeal has lawfully demonstrated Dr. Mahtani as the real and legitimate proprietor of the Portland Cement Zambia manufacturing plant.

With this decision from the Court of Appeal judge, it is also clear that the previous judge was wrong in declaring Ventriglias as only shareholders as this decision was given without looking into evidences or testimonials.