Article 266 — Pardon Does Not Erase Recidivism
Texte légal (original thaï)
เมื่อผู้ได้รับพระราชทานอภัยโทษเนื่องจากการกระทำความผิดอย่างหนึ่งถูกฟ้องว่ากระทำความผิดอีกอย่างหนึ่ง อภัยโทษนั้นย่อมไม่ตัดอำนาจศาลที่จะเพิ่มโทษหรือไม่รอการลงอาญาตามกฎหมายลักษณะอาญาว่าด้วยการกระทำผิดหลายครั้งไม่เข็ดหลาบ หรือว่าด้วยรอการลงอาญา
traduction anglaise
When a person who has received a royal pardon in respect of one offence is prosecuted for another offence, that pardon does not deprive the court of the power to increase the penalty, or to refuse suspension of the penalty, under the penal law concerning the commission of repeated offences without reform, or concerning suspension of the penalty.
Cette traduction anglaise est fournie à titre indicatif uniquement et n'a pas encore été vérifiée de manière définitive ; référez-vous toujours à l'original thaï.
Annotation de l'entreprise
This section clarifies the limited reach of a pardon in relation to later offending. A pardon extinguishes or lightens punishment for the pardoned offence, but it does not erase the fact that the offence was committed for the purposes of sentencing in a subsequent case. Accordingly, when the pardoned person is prosecuted again, the court retains full power to enhance the penalty for recidivism and to withhold a suspended sentence. The reference to the penal law on repeated offences without reform and on suspension of penalty points to the substantive Penal Code rules on increased punishment and suspension. The provision preserves the sentencing court's discretion and prevents a pardon from being used to reset a defendant's criminal history.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
The practical warning is that a pardon is not a clean slate: a defendant who reoffends can still face an increased penalty for recidivism and can be denied a suspended sentence, because the earlier offence still counts. Anyone relying on a past pardon to argue for leniency in a new case should expect the court to treat the prior conviction as relevant to sentencing. This makes careful defense strategy in the new case important rather than assuming the record is gone.
Foire aux questions
Does a pardon clear my record for future cases in Thailand?
No. Under section 266, a pardon for one offence does not prevent a court in a later case from increasing the penalty for repeat offending or refusing a suspended sentence.
Can a court still treat a pardoned offence as a prior conviction?
Yes. Section 266 preserves the court's power to consider the earlier offence for recidivism and suspension purposes despite the pardon.