Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, has resigned, local media reported Tuesday, amid tensions over a graft scandal involving several lawmakers.

Earlier this month, thousands of Kuwaitis held demonstrations, calling for stiff action against the country's corrupt lawmakers and demanding the government to quit. The protesters had warned that failure to bring the corrupt officials to account could spark bigger demonstrations in the oil-rich emirate. 

The Kuwaitis also demanded the ouster of the government, which has been led by Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad Al-Sabah since 2006. The premier is a member of the ruling family and nephew of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait.

Citing “high ranking” sources, Al-Anbaa newspaper said Sheikh Mohammad, who has been foreign minister in the oil-rich Persian Gulf state since 2003, “submitted his resignation on Monday and did not attend the cabinet meeting.”

“The minister preferred to resign from a government that does not carry out true reforms regarding the (illegal) multi-million bank deposits,” the term used to describe the scandal, the daily cited the sources as saying.

The resignation was reported by most of Kuwait's local media outlets but the government has so far not commented.

The resignation will only be considered official when it is accepted by Kuwait's Emir, AFP reported.

If approved, Sheikh Mohammad will become the second senior ruling family member to quit the cabinet since June when former deputy premier Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Sabah resigned over an alleged power struggle with the prime minister.

The move came as Kuwait's opposition mounted a campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's government.

The public prosecutor last month opened a probe into the bank accounts of about 14 MPs in the 50-member parliament on allegations they received some $350 million in “political” bribes.

On October 5, Kuwaiti lawmaker, Khaled al-Sultan, warned, “This unprecedented crime will not pass without punishment ... If we do not force this government and its head to step down, the country will go to catastrophe.” 

The resignation of the Harvard-educated minister came as leading opposition lawmaker Mussallam al-Barrak threatened to make public classified documents about alleged overseas money transfers through Kuwaiti embassies.

The opposition has alleged that some of the funds were transferred to bank accounts held by some MPs abroad, linking them to the graft scandal at home.

Barrak, who sent a list of questions to Sheikh Mohammad over a month ago about the issue, threatened Monday that he would make the documents public at an opposition rally if he does not receive the answers by Wednesday noon.

The lawmaker however distanced Sheikh Mohammad from the allegations.

Opposition MPs plan to file a request to question the prime minister on Thursday over allegations the government failed to deal appropriately with the corruption scandal.

Some Kuwaitis recently accused the government of spending the money to buy the votes of lawmakers to ensure the appointment of the prime minister and his cabinet. 

Kuwait, OPEC's third largest oil producer, has been rocked with almost continuous political disputes since Sheikh Nasser became premier in February 2006, stalling development despite abundant oil income.