Nairobi, July 3 -- The long-running dispute over the planned sale of Nairobi's 14 Riverside complex has taken a fresh turn after Synergy Industrial Credit sued I&M Bank and one of its senior executives, seeking Sh5.77 billion in damages for allegedly frustrating its efforts to recover a court-awarded debt.

In a suit filed at the High Court, Synergy accuses I&M Bank and its executive director, Sarit Suresh Raja Shah, of twice blocking the forced sale of the property, preventing the Synergy from enforcing a decree against Cape Holdings Ltd, the owner of the mixed-use development.

The claim is founded on the Marex tort, under which Synergy argues that the bank intentionally interfered with its ability to realise the fruits of a judgment th...