Supreme Court reinstates notary Óscar Zaldaña after suspension ends

The Supreme Court of Justice declared the suspension imposed on attorney Óscar Armando Zaldaña Padilla from the exercise of the Public Function of the Notary ended and ordered his inclusion in the permanent roster of notaries. The decision is contained in Agreement No. 1880-D, issued by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Justice on September 10, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette Volume No. 452, Number 181, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in the Judicial Branch section, page 37. The effect of the resolution is valid from September 10 of the current year.

The scope of the agreement

Agreement No. 1880-D is issued by virtue of the delegation conferred by the Plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice through Agreement 7-P of October 17, 2019, and based on articles 24 and 43 of the Administrative Procedures Law, article 70, obligation 13, of the Judicial Organic Law, articles 14 and 182, attribution 12, of the Constitution of the Republic, and article 13 of the Notary Law.

The document specifies that the Court in Plenary issued a resolution on August 25, 2026, within the disciplinary file D-48223 (D-005-ZO-23), in which it resolved to conclude the sanction and reinstate the professional to the notary service.

Chronology of the sanction

The suspension that is now lifted had begun to run on June 7, 2024, and was applied through Agreement No. 1948-D, dated September 4, 2024. The complete timeline of the case is as follows:

• Agreement No. 1948-D, of September 4, 2024: imposes the suspension from the public function of the notary.
• June 7, 2024: date from which the sanction began to apply.
• August 25, 2026: the Plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice resolves to end the suspension in file D-48223 (D-005-ZO-23).
• September 10, 2026: date of issuance of Agreement No. 1880-D and the entry into force of the resolution.
• September 30, 2026: publication in the Official Gazette.

Communication to courts and registries

The agreement orders the issuance of an official notice informing all courts and public registries in the country, so that the reinstatement of the notary is known by the authorities that verify the authorization of public notaries. Likewise, it mandates the publication of the resolution in the Official Gazette, a procedure that was fulfilled with its appearance in the September 30, 2026 edition.

The document is signed by Julia del Cid, General Secretary of the Supreme Court of Justice, and was registered under number F49305. The same edition of the Official Gazette includes other agreements from the Judicial Branch related to professional practice, including Agreement No. 1906-D, which modifies two previous authorizations for the practice of law and the public function of the notary in favor of Delmy Gabriela Portillo Orellana, who since September 17, 2026, practices under the name Delmy Gabriela Portillo de Fernández due to a change in marital status.

Impact for users of the notarial service

The reinstatement returns full authorization to Óscar Armando Zaldaña Padilla to exercise the public function of the notary, which implies that his notarial acts once again have full legal backing and that his name reappears on the permanent roster of certifying officers. For citizens, the publication in the Official Gazette is the guarantee that the change in status can be verified before courts and public registries, entities that receive official communication of the measure. The case also illustrates the sanctioning circuit of the Salvadoran notary: the suspension and its lifting are processed administratively before the Plenary of the Supreme Court of Justice and only acquire general publicity through their insertion in the official bulletin.

Source: Official Gazette, Volume No. 452, Number 181, September 30, 2026, Judicial Branch, p. 37 (official reference: Agreement No. 1880-D).