Portland Cement Zambia case is one of the longest-running corporate cases in Zambia. It was started by Dr. Rajan Mahtani, who registered the case at the Lusaka High Court after the factory was illegally taken over from him. The case has been going on in Zambia for almost 10 years which clearly indicate the challenges faced by businessmen in a developing country like Zambia. On top of that, there were numerous issues such as quick transfer of judges or judges not being available, not able to comprehend the case or non-availability of the parties which resulted in the long pendency of the case. However, one attribute was constant during the entire process of the court proceedings. This was the evidences and documents submitted by Dr. Mahtani’s lawyers.
Some months back, the judge handling the case of Portland Cement Zambia announced closure of the case hearing and also asked parties to submit their evidences for analysis. This meant that both parties were to give evidences in written and oral format and based on these evidences, the final verdict was to be expected. It was a positive announcement for Dr. Mahtani who was hopeful for a winning verdict as his evidences and documents were much stronger and relevant compared to the other parties. It was a significant move for Dr. Rajan Mahtani who has been waiting for the judgement for a decade. Even the judge hailed this move as extraordinary considering the long pendency of the case and congratulated all the patient members of the case.
However, the final judgment was shocking as the judge gave the final verdict against Dr. Mahtani’s claims. Dr. Mahtani has now moved to higher court by making an appeal against this judgment.
Some months back, the judge handling the case of Portland Cement Zambia announced closure of the case hearing and also asked parties to submit their evidences for analysis. This meant that both parties were to give evidences in written and oral format and based on these evidences, the final verdict was to be expected. It was a positive announcement for Dr. Mahtani who was hopeful for a winning verdict as his evidences and documents were much stronger and relevant compared to the other parties. It was a significant move for Dr. Rajan Mahtani who has been waiting for the judgement for a decade. Even the judge hailed this move as extraordinary considering the long pendency of the case and congratulated all the patient members of the case.
However, the final judgment was shocking as the judge gave the final verdict against Dr. Mahtani’s claims. Dr. Mahtani has now moved to higher court by making an appeal against this judgment.