(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) RIO DE JANEIRO Jumada I 27 1437 March 07 2016 SPA -- The speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress was officially notified Monday that he will face an investigation by the chamber's ethics council giving him 10 days to present a written defense according to AP.
The council voted last Wednesday to proceed with an investigation into claims that Eduardo Cunha lied to Congress over his use of secret Swiss bank accounts but until now the speaker had refused to accept the notification arguing that he was busy with meetings.
Cunha told a parliamentary inquiry last March that he had no foreign bank accounts but Swiss authorities subsequently revealed that Cunha his wife and his daughter all held accounts in the country. The speaker has insisted that they are trusts of which is the beneficiary rather than personal accounts.
Cunha also faces charges of corruption tax evasion and money-laundering in Brazil's Supreme Court over accusations he took $5 million in bribes as part of the kickback scheme centered around Petrobras the state-run oil company.
Despite repeated requests from a wide range of politicians for him to stand down as speaker while the investigation is under way Cunha has insisted he sees no reason to do so.
--SPA
23:50 LOCAL TIME 20:50 GMT
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