Zambezi Portland Cement factory can be easily regarded as an organization that has seen twists and turns more than any organization in Zambia. The factory, which initially belonged to Dr. Mahtani, was taken over unethically. After failed justice from Lusaka High Court, Dr. Mahtani approached the higher court of Appeal for judgement. In 31st January 2019, justice Mwinde from higher Court of Appeal gave the decision that Portland Cement belongs to Dr. Rajan Mahtani.
More than 20 months later, the Ventriglias made a surprising move by approaching the Supreme Court Zambia with a claim that challenges the decision on the higher Court of Appeal. However, it should be noted here that there are legal obligations to be followed when making such appeals, especially to the highest legal authority of a nation. A bench comprising of three judges was established by the Supreme Court Zambia. This bench evaluated the viability of the claim before accepting or rejecting it. After evaluation, the bench revered that the claim cannot be accepted as it does not follow the legal obligations. As per the law, any claim against a previous court decision must be established within 14 days of the day of the judgement from the court. Since the final decision from the higher Court of Appeal came on 31st January 2019, it can be said that the Ventriglias are way late in making such appeal. On the other hand, Dr. Rajan Mahtani had rightly made the appeal to the higher court of Appeal after the Lusaka High Court decision. As such, The Supreme Court judges confirmed that the case is beyond their jurisdiction. Furthermore, the judges also confirmed that the circumstances surrounding this surprising appeal from the Ventriglias was questionable and looking into the stored evidences and testimonials, the decision from the Supreme Court Zambia would remain same in the Portland Cement Zambia matter. As such, the claim from the Ventriglias has been rejected effectively and Dr. Rajan Mahtani remains the actual owner of the Portland Cement Zambia factory.
