The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) confirmed this Tuesday, August 25, that it has opened an investigation into a possible conflict of interest regarding the appointment of Sherina Latorraca as Director of Legal Advice at the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP). Latorraca, who assumed the position with a monthly salary of $3,500 since last April, is the daughter of Zaira Santamaría de Latorraca, presiding magistrate of the Administrative Court of Public Procurement (TACP), an entity that is part of the same state contracting system and whose functions include resolving disputes arising from these processes.
Sherina Latorraca pictured above left, and the Director of Public Procurement, Javier Raúl Marquínez pictured to the right. Sherina’s mother is the presiding magistrate of the Administrative Court of Public Procurement.
According to some legal experts, her appointment could conflict with the provisions of the Code of Ethics for Public Servants regarding conflicts of interest. Article 41 of the code states that public servants must refrain from holding positions “in the same administrative unit or in administrative units that maintain control or oversight relationships with each other, and in which persons included in the aforementioned family ties work.” The DGCP is the entity in charge of regulating, administering and overseeing public procurement procedures, while the TACP acts as the body in charge of hearing and resolving appeals and disputes arising from these processes. In response to these accusations, Santamaría de Latorraca pictured below, defended her daughter’s appointment during Monday’s session of the Assembly’s Budget Committee, denying any conflict of interest.
“If you analyze it objectively, there is no conflict of interest,” Santamaría de Latorraca replied to independent legislator Jhonathan Vega, who had raised the issue. The magistrate maintained that Sherina Latorraca pictured below, “does not participate in the decision-making of the DGCP,” although she currently holds the position of Director of Legal Advice, a key position within the entity. The magistrate also argued that both entities have different functions within the public procurement system and that the position held by her daughter does not represent an intervention in the decisions that correspond to the court. President José Raúl Mulino appointed Santamaría de Latorraca in December 2025 as a magistrate of the TACP (Administrative Court of Constitutional Appeals). She will hold the position until December 2029. She had previously held positions within the Judicial Branch and served as interim director of the Judicial School.
During the Ricardo Martinelli administration (2009-2014), Santamaría de Latorraca pictured below, was appointed as an alternate magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice, but was not ratified by the National Assembly. That occurred in 2010. Her daughter Sherina pictured above, faced legal proceedings for a traffic accident in 2003, in which a minor was killed and her mother suffered serious injuries. The case was heard by the juvenile court, which acquitted her, ruling that the accident occurred due to negligence on the part of the victims. This decision generated widespread public debate and harsh criticism. At that time, Latorraca, now a judge was serving as a municipal judge.
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