The chairman of Kuwait's Al Ahli Bank has resigned due to ill health and been replaced by the lender's deputy chairman, it said on Sunday.

Ahmed Yousef Behbehani stepped down with effect from December 24, with deputy chairman Talal Mohamed Reda Yousef Behbehani appointed chairman in his place, Kuwait's ninth-largest bank by market capitalisation said in a bourse statement.

In November, Kuwait's Court of Appeal reduced a fine against Ahmed Yousef Behbehani for alleged insider trading charges to KD100,000 ($341,588) from KD1.5 million.

This followed the Court of First Instance in March fining Behbehani, a member of a powerful Kuwaiti business family, after a complaint by the Capital Markets Authority.

Behbehani said at the time he was not guilty of wrongdoing and would appeal the ruling.-Reuters