The Victorian Liberal Party’s powerful administrative committee is resisting pressure to drag the state division into the messy legal saga between MP Moira Deeming and former leader John Pesutto, despite an imminent threat to send him bankrupt.

Deeming intends to serve Pesutto with a bankruptcy notice at 5pm on Friday to recover her $2.3 million legal costs and will seek to recoup the costs from two parliamentary colleagues and former leaders Ted Baillieu, Jeff Kennett and Denis Napthine if Pesutto is bankrupted.