AKIPRESS.COM - Brazil's suspended lower house Speaker Eduardo Cunha has been dealt a major blow after a committee voted in favour of stripping him of his seat.

Mr Cunha is widely regarded as the architect of the impeachment process of President Dilma Rousseff, BBC reports.

He has been accused of lying about undeclared Swiss bank accounts but strongly denies any wrongdoing.

If the full lower house approve the move, he faces losing his partial immunity from prosecution.

He could then be arrested and prosecuted on corruption charges.

The vote in the congressional ethics committee was tight, with members approving the motion 11-9 in favour.

"We are facing the biggest scandal this body has ever ruled on," said ethics council rapporteur Marcos Rogerio, who wrote the report recommending that Mr Cunha be stripped of his seat.

Mr Cunha has insisted he is innocent and vowed to appeal against the decision to another congressional committee.