An outspoken Kuwaiti man has been jailed for four years on charges of "abusing Saudi Arabia and its leaders" during a television interview broadcast in Syria, Kuwait Times has reported.

Saleh Al Saeed, whose brother Fajr Al Saeed owns the controversial Scope satellite channel, reportedly criticised the Saudi leaders while defending Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in his fight against a four-year rebellion believed to be backed by Riyadh and other Gulf states.

A Kuwaiti criminal court on Tuesday found him guilty of carrying out acts of aggression against Saudi Arabia and a number of Saudi princes.