Pakistan's Supreme Court has disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from politics for life, court officials say.
The five-judge bench announced the decision on March 13 in the capital, Islamabad, amid tight security, court official Shahid Hussain said.
Analysts say the decision could have an impact on parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year.
Sharif, 68, a three-time former prime minister, was disqualified and removed from office last year on corruption allegations against his family.
The charges stemmed from leaked documents known as the Panama Papers.
Since then, confusion has persisted about whether he can run for office again.
A member of Sharif's ruling party, Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, angrily dismissed the ruling as a "joke."