Four Romanian hit men who were sent to Malta by a Russian businessman to try recover €4.2 million he lost when a business deal went wrong were this afternoon given suspended sentences after admitting to threatening the intermediary of the 2007 deal.

Marian Andrisca, 31, twins Ionut Diaconu and Marius Gabriel Diaconu, 37, and Florin Lepadatu, 36, pleaded guilty to threatening the Maltese intermediary on Thursday evening.

Magistrate Josette Demicoli heard how the Russian businessman – whose name was not mentioned in court – sent the men to Malta because he wanted to recover the money he had lost.

Sources said the deal, struck in 2007, was over the purchase of a large quarry in Mellieħa which the Russian tycoon was planning to develop into luxury apartments.

A promise of sale agreement was signed but only two of three payments went through, in breach of the contract that had been signed.

All of sudden, after not hearing from the Russian businessman for seven years, the Maltese intermediary was approached by the Romanian men who gave him 24 hours to pay the money.

They threatened him and told him that if he did not pay, he would be sorry as his family was at stake.

“We know where you live, what cars you drive, where your children go to school and even where you take them to play football... If you do not pay within 24 hours you will be very sorry because there is your family involved,” the men told the Maltese intermediary.

They pleaded guilty to threatening the man, causing him to fear that violence would be used against him and misusing telecommunications equipment. They also admitted to breaching the peace.

Magistrate Demicoli jailed them for two years suspended for four years and fined them €500 that they must pay by Monday.

She also issued a three-year protection order in favour of the Maltese man and his entire family.

Police Inspectors Jason Sultana and John Spiteri prosecuted while lawyer Noel Bianco appeared for the men.