Dr. Rajan Mahtani waited for ten years patiently, even when chances for winning the case were slim. This wait was for Portland Cement Zambia, a noted cement manufacturing factory which was illegally taken away from Dr. Rajan Mahtani. As a result, Dr. Rajan Mahtani first registered the case at the Lusaka High Court. During the case proceeding which took more than a decade, numerous evidences and testimonials were shared by Dr. Rajan Mahtani and his lawyers. However, the court was unable to come to any final decision. After more than a decade, final judgment on the case was announced by justice Nkonde in the month of May, 2018. However, this decision was extremely controversial as the judge announced that Ventriglias were only shareholder of the Zambezi Portland Cement factory. To counter this judgment and seek justice, Dr. Rajan Mahtani then approached the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal is among the highest-level of court systems within Zambia. The judge at the Court of Appeal was justice Mwinde who announced the final decision for the case on 31st January 2019. According to this decision, Dr. Rajan Mahtani owned Finsbury Investments is the majority shareholder of the Zambezi Portland Cement with 58 percent shares. On the other hand, Ventriglias who own Ital Terrazzo Limited hold just 42 percent shares and are the minority shareholder of the cement factory without any legal ownership. Justice Mwinde also said that this decision aligned with the original shareholders agreement which was established in the year 2006. With this confirmation, it is established that Dr. Rajan Mahtani is the legal owner of the Zambezi Portland Cement factory.
Furthermore, justice Mwinde from the Court of Appeal also said that the judge below him was wrong in declaring Ventriglias as the only shareholders of the Zambezi Portland Cement as this decision was biased, misdirected and against the interests of the public policies.
