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RIO DE JANEIRO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Eduardo Cunha, the suspended President of the Chamber of Deputies in Brazil, formally resigned Thursday although he will remain a deputy.
"I hope my resignation may help to stabilize the Chamber," said Cunha at a press conference, with tears in his eyes.
However, he also excoriated the institution he is leaving behind, saying that "it is well known that the house is brainless."
Cunha, who was suspended in May by the Supreme Court due to corruption charges, was expected to resign after interim president Michel Temer pulled his support earlier last week.
Cunha sought to paint himself as a victim, saying he had been subjected to "cruel, inhuman" treatment, before asking God to bless the Chamber.
In December, Cunha initiated the impeachment process of President Dilma Rousseff, declaring himself her enemy. It has been suspected by analysts that Cunha acted against Rousseff to also remove attention from his own corruption charges, after hidden accounts were found in Switzerland with millions of U.S. dollars under his name.
Despite this, Cunha said "I have a clear conscience...as I helped to make the country better and to free it from a criminal government."
The legislator, as well as his wife and daughter, is under investigation for having allegedly profited illegally from embezzled funds as part of the Petrobras corruption ring.
In his declaration, Cunha said he trusted the Brazilian justice system and that his innocence would be proven.
The position of president of the Chamber of Deputies is currently held by Cunha's former deputy, Waldir Maranhao, but new elections should be held soon.
