It follows the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend Kuwait in October, allegedly to protect the country from "undue Government interference” following the passing of a deadline to amend a controversial new law allowing far greater control over all sports bodies.

A total of 17 other International Federations have also suspended Kuwait, including FIFA. 

Unless the suspension is lifted by the IOC, Kuwait will not be able to take part in this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 

Sheikh Ahmad, a member of the IOC and FIFA's ruling Executive Committee, is named in the lawsuit along with his brother, Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad.

Sheikh Talal is the President of the Kuwait Olympic Committee (KOC) and the Kuwait Football Association. 

Sheikh Ahmad is also the President of the Olympic Council of Asia, which is based in Kuwait, although the Government have threatened to evict them from their offices by April. 

The Government is suing both Sheikhs along with every other member of the KOC for not taking more action when the IOC suspended them or challenging the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 

Kuwait sent 10 athletes to compete at London 2012. 

Their only medal came in the men's trap shooting when Fehaid Al-Deehani won a bronze. 

The Government are seeking 5,001 dinar (£11,400/$16,500/€15,200) from each Sheikh plus a further 400 million dinar (£901 million/£1.3 billion/€1.2 billion) compensation.

The Kuwait Misdemeanour Court last month found Shiekh Ahmad guilty of insulting the judiciary and sentenced him to a six-month prison sentence and fined him 1,000 dinar (£2,200/$3,300/€3,000).

Sheikh Ahmad was given the sentence for making public allegations three years ago against two powerful Government members.

He claimed that former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and former speaker Jassem Mohammad Abdul-Mohsem Al-Karafi had laundered money, misused public funds and plotted to topple the Government.

The allegations were dismissed by the court in Kuwait as "fabrications" and he had to apologise to the ruling Emir, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

IOC President Thomas Bach revealed last month that they will not seek to have the charges against Sheikh Ahmad dropped.

He said "it's nothing to do with the sports law or sport" and that the IOC would respect the decision of a sovereign country. 

Kuwait's Government have claimed it is "categorically untrue" that the decision to prosecute Sheikh Ahmad was linked to the country's suspension by the IOC and FIFA. 

At the root of the row is a bitter dispute between Sheikh Ahmad and Kuwait's Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Homud Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Salman had stood unsuccessfully in 2014 to replace Mexico's Olegario Vázquez Raña  as President of the International Shooting Sport Federation but was defeated after insidethegames revealed he had been using his Government position to try to influence voters. 

Sheikh Ahmad was tonight unavailable for comment.