Legal authorities are putting the final touches on a fresh series of indictments of public officials for corruption and misuse of public funds, an informed source told Ma'an on Monday.

The defendants in this new batch of corruption cases will now be summoned for interrogation, the source said.

A senior official recently tried to travel to Jordan via Jericho, but police prevented his exit and ordered him back to Ramallah for interrogation, Ma'an has learned.

The Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission has been investigating a number of government ministers.

In recent weeks the commission referred three cases under investigation to the corruption court: against the former Ministry of Finance general manager Sami Ramlawi, former Minister of Agriculture Ismail Daiq and Minister of Economy Hassan Abu Libdeh.

Commission chief Rafiq Al-Natsheh told Ma'an in June that current PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, a unnamed member of the PLO executive committee, and a member of the Fatah central committee, are also being investigated by the body.