A group of Kuwaiti opposition members of parliament have filed a motion of "non-cooperation" against the country's prime minister over corruption charges.

If passed, the motion tabled on Tuesday after a marathon closed session of the parliament, could unseat Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

"A motion has been officially submitted, and voting will take place on December 16," Kuwait's parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi said.

The motion was moved after Sheikh Nasser was questioned in parliament over allegations that his office misappropriated millions of dollars in the run up to the 2008 elections.

Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir, is the first prime minister to be questioned by the assembly since democracy was introduced in the Gulf emirate in 1962. 

He was also quizzed about a $700,000 cheque he issued to a MP last year.

The request to question the prime minister was filed last month by opposition MP Faisal al-Muslim.

If approved by a majority of the MPs, the motion would be sent to the emir who then could dismiss the prime minister or dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections.

The Gulf state has been rocked by political chaos since early 2006 when Sheikh Nasser was appointed premier.  

Since February 2006, parliament has been dissolved three times because of disputes with the government, and Sheikh Nasser has been  forced to resign five times.