139,000 shekels per month: A dispute between a businessman and an oligarch's son reveals high rental fees
A dispute between French-Jewish businessman Richard Tawil and singer Alexander Kogan has led to a 950,000 shekel lawsuit. The case centers on a villa lease in Herzliya with a monthly rent of $45,000.
An unusual dispute between the son of an oligarch, a famous singer in Russia, and a French-Jewish businessman who previously fled law enforcement authorities in France, has led to a lawsuit of approximately 950,000 shekels against the singer, exposing the significant rental fees required for luxury properties.
The statement of claim was filed by the French businessman Richard Tawil through his company T.I.R.I. Tawil claimed that in April 2026, he rented the villa to Alexander Kogan for a monthly rent of 45,000 dollars (about 139,000 shekels), but according to him, Kogan failed to pay the agreed-upon prepayment of 270,000 dollars for six months. Tawil stated he accommodated Kogan’s requests due to his prior acquaintance with Alexander’s father, the oligarch Valery Kogan, but the payment was not transferred in May, and warning letters went unanswered. The lawsuit seeks to recover unpaid rent, damages, and associated interest.
The claim reveals that Tawil treated Alexander with leniency due to his family lineage:
«The plaintiff, through Richard, showed great patience toward the defendant. Richard maintained continuous contact with the defendant, was invited to and attended his family events, and refrained from turning to legal channels... The patience granted to the defendant stemmed solely from the trust Richard had in the defendant's identity, and from the recognition of his connection to his father, Mr. Valery Kogan, and his high status».
In a letter forwarded by Kogan's lawyer, it is noted that Alexander intended to reside in the house with his family as early as last May and even sought to hire household staff, but the house was allegedly not ready for occupancy. The letter further claims that a dispute developed between Tawil and Valery Kogan regarding an apartment purchase, with Alexander alleging that Tawil failed to pay his parents the full consideration for that property, leading to a separate lawsuit.
Tawil is a businessman well known to police; he is wanted in France for economic crimes amounting to tens of millions of euros and was sentenced in absentia in 2019 to seven years in prison. In Israel, he has faced criminal threats, including a grenade attack on his home and the burning of family vehicles, which he attributed to demands from the crime organization of Asi Abutbul. The villa on Havatzelet HaSharon Street in Herzliya, for which the lawsuit was filed, was purchased by Tawil from Arcadi Gaydamak in March 2020 for 13.8 million shekels and has since been the subject of multiple legal entanglements regarding payment disputes.
