Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday approached the Islamabad High Court again to have his sentence suspended in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.

The former prime minister has based his plea on medical grounds, however, earlier the high court had turned down his request for lifting the sentence.

An accountability court on December 24 had found the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader guilty in the Al Azizia Steel Mills reference and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

In a short verdict announced, the court said there was concrete evidence against the former premier in the Al-Azizia reference, and that he was unable to provide a money trail in the case.

The court ordered that Nawaz be "sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term of seven years along with a fine if Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million".