Brazil congressional ethics committee votes to strip Cunha of his seat

Brazil's President of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Cunha gestures during his defense in an ethics committee of the lower house, in Brasilia, Brazil, May 19, 2016. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's congressional ethics committee voted to strip suspended Speaker Eduardo Cunha of his seat on Tuesday for allegedly lying about undeclared Swiss bank accounts, the latest in a series of political earthquakes to rock Latin America's largest country.

Cunha insisted on his innocence and vowed to appeal the decision to another congressional committee. To remove him from office, a majority of the lower house of Congress still needs to affirm the decision.