Secretary-general’s family matters

Lee called out Secretary-General António Guterres (right), a former prime minister of Portugal, for failing to disclose conflicts of interest, including his son’s work for a company with holdings in African countries where the UN is active.

Since 2009, Pedro Guimarães e Melo de Oliveira Guterres has been a manager at PT Portugal, the largest telecommunications provider in Portugal, according to reports. The Portuguese company “has significant interests in telecommunications companies in Angola, Cape Verde, Namibia and São Tomé and Príncipe in Africa and in East Timor in Asia,” SEC filings say.

A Guterres spokesman said the secretary-general “abides by the UN’s financial disclosure rules” and “has never involved himself in his son’s employment nor has he ever at any point discussed it with anyone during his tenure at the UN.”

Lee has also been critical of Guterres’ frequent travel to Lisbon, where his wife, Catarina Vaz Pinto, is a deputy mayor for culture. Since he took over as secretary-general on Jan. 1, 2017, he has taken 15 trips to the Portuguese capital on the UN’s dime, according to itineraries obtained by Lee.

The spokesman told The Post that Guterres “frequently travels through Lisbon on official business, taking advantage of the weekend. This is done at no extra cost” to the UN. In addition to his wife, Guterres goes to visit his elderly mother, the spokesman said.