A man who expected to get over €25,000 in return for about €9,000 he had lent somebody else was yesterday given a suspended jail term and fined.

Joseph Azzopardi, 39, of Cospicua had lent Glen Debattista €9,320 in August 2005. Mr Debattista said in court he had to pay back €18,640 in instalments of €1,165 a month.

The agreement turned sour after Mr Debattista missed a payment and the total amount owed soared from €18,640 to €25,630.

In a statement to the police, Mr Azzopardi denied lending money to Mr Debattista for a profit and said he did it as a favour. He denied asking for €25,630 and said he was meant to receive monthly payments of €1,165 for a previous loan.

The magistrate found Mr Azzopardi guilty of lending money at a higher interest rate than allowed by law. He handed down a 10-month jail term suspended for three years and fined Mr Azzopardi €1,200.

Police Inspector Ian Abdilla prosecuted.