His prosecution and conviction have been a source of controversy, receiving much media coverage, as well as being the focus of an Israeli documentary TV series called Shadow of Truth that has gained worldwide attention on Netflix.
V minulosti byl poslancem Knesetu za strany Kadima a Likud, a zastával četné ministerské posty, mezi něž patřil ministr financí, ministr národní infrastruktury, ministr vnitra a ministr vědy a technologie.