NIS 139,000 a month: Dispute between businessman and oligarch's son exposes high rent prices

An unusual dispute between French-Jewish businessman Richard Twil and Alexander Kogan, son of Russian oligarch Valery Kogan, led to a lawsuit of about NIS 950,000. Twil claims he rented a villa in Herzliya to Kogan for $45,000 a month, but Kogan did not pay. Kogan claims the house was not fit for living. The background includes Twil's criminal past and previous legal disputes.

An unusual dispute between French-Jewish businessman Richard Twil and Alexander Kogan, son of Russian oligarch Valery Kogan, led to a lawsuit of about NIS 950,000 filed by Twil against Kogan. Twil, through his company T.I.R.I., claims that in April 2026 he rented a villa on Havatzelet HaSharon Street in Herzliya to Kogan for monthly rent of $45,000 (about NIS 139,000), and that Kogan did not pay the advance payment of $270,000 for six months. Twil claims he was patient due to his acquaintance with Kogan's father, but by May the payment was still not transferred. In contrast, Kogan's lawyer claims the house was not ready for occupancy, and that Twil himself returned to live in it. It was also claimed that a dispute developed between Twil and Valery Kogan over a apartment purchase deal. Twil is wanted in France for financial crimes, was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison, and was not extradited. The villa was purchased from Arkady Gaydamak in 2020 for NIS 13.8 million, and there is also a dispute there. Kogan the son is a famous singer in Russia.