Gilani is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Pakistan, where civilian governments have repeatedly been toppled by the country's powerful military, often with the support of the Supreme Court, which critics allege is heavily politicized. Corruption charges have routinely been used to target those in power, or seeking to return.

The prime minister arrived at the court house flanked by government ministers and in a shower of rose petals tossed by supporters.

The ruling said he was guilty of contempt but would serve a sentence only "until the rising of the court", or by the time the judges left the chamber. That happened about three minutes after the verdict was handed down.

Thursday's verdict was the culmination of a process that began in a Supreme Court decision in 2009 ordering the government to ask authorities in Switzerland to reopen a long dormant corruption probe against President Asif Ali Zardari dating back to the 1990s. Gilani refused, saying the president had immunity from prosecution, and in January the court ordered contempt proceedings against him.

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