Pakistan's Supreme Court has disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, dismissed from his post over corruption allegations last year, from holding public office for life.

A five-member bench of the country's apex court unanimously ruled on Friday that anyone disqualified under a constitutional clause requiring legislators to be "honest and trustworthy" would be considered banned for life.

Sharif was dismissed from office as prime minister in July of last year, in a case lodged over disclosure in the Panama Papers leak, but which ultimately hinged on allegations that he had failed to declare a salary from his son's UAE-based company.

Sharif says that he never received the salary, and that he held a position within that company in order to maintain a valid business visa in the Gulf state. The Supreme Court ruled that whether he received the salary or not was immaterial.

The three-time prime minister and three of his children continue to face trial for corruption charges in a National Accountability Bureau court, which is due to deliver a verdict in the coming weeks.

Pakistan is due to hold a general election in July