The National Resistance Movement has angrily described as “an exercise in futility” and “total blackmail” attempts by an Asian money-lender Patel Arving’s lawyers to block the forthcoming national delegates’ conference over a debt of shs5.4bn.

The money was obtained by former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi’s daughter, Lenina Kemigisha Rukikaire to update the party register for its 2010 primaries ahead of the general elections in 2011 but NRM is said to have failed to pay.

Patel’s Lawyers Muwema Mugerwa and company Advocates have since threatened to use legal means to block the December 15 conference at Mandela National Stadium should the ruling party fall short of clearing the debt.

The NRM Deputy Spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo told journalists in Kampala today that the party is not aware of the debt because the complainant has failed to produce e documentary evidence to that effect, he added that this is total blackmail and exercise in futility.

Lenina, in a letter dated April 7, 2014 to President Museveni, says she borrowed Shs 440 million with his authorization as party chairman at an interest rate of 15 percent per month and that this money was to be repaid in three months which didn’t happen.

She claimed the debt had risen to a staggering Shs3.4bn as of March 2014 including principal and interest. But Patel now says as of October, he demands shs5.4bn and interest of 26 percent per annum, damages and legal costs from NRM. NRM officials represented by lawyer Geoffrey Kandeebe Ntambirweki and Patel are expected to appear at the Commercial Court today for mediation over the case