Former minister Yaakov Ne'eman dies

Former minister Yaakov Ne'eman died on Sunday. He was 77 years old.

A leading attorney and legal mind, Ne'eman was appointed as finance minister and twice as a justice minister—the first time by then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite not being a member of the Knesset.

Due to allegations of impropriety, Ne'eman was forced to resign from his first term as Justice minister, though all allegations against him were later dismissed. He returned to the position 11 years later, when he succeeded in adding more judges to the legal system and fought against human trafficking.

Upon hearing of his death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Ne'eman "one of the top legal experts in the country, sharp of mind and with a warm Jewish heart."