Article 37: When a criminal case terminates
Statutory text (Thai original)
คดีอาญาเลิกกันได้ ดังต่อไปนี้
(๑) ในคดีมีโทษปรับสถานเดียว เมื่อผู้กระทำผิดยินยอมเสียค่าปรับในอัตราอย่างสูงสำหรับความผิดนั้นแก่พนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ก่อนศาลพิจารณา
(๒) ในคดีความผิดที่เป็นลหุโทษหรือความผิดที่มีอัตราโทษไม่สูงกว่าความผิดลหุโทษ หรือคดีอื่นที่มีโทษปรับสถานเดียวอย่างสูงไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท หรือความผิดต่อกฎหมายเกี่ยวกับภาษีอากรซึ่งมีโทษปรับอย่างสูงไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท เมื่อผู้ต้องหาชำระค่าปรับตามที่พนักงานสอบสวนได้เปรียบเทียบแล้ว
(๓) ในคดีความผิดที่เป็นลหุโทษหรือความผิดที่มีอัตราโทษไม่สูงกว่าความผิดลหุโทษ หรือคดีที่มีโทษปรับสถานเดียวอย่างสูงไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท ซึ่งเกิดในกรุงเทพมหานคร เมื่อผู้ต้องหาชำระค่าปรับตามที่นายตำรวจประจำท้องที่ตั้งแต่ตำแหน่งสารวัตรขึ้นไป หรือนายตำรวจชั้นสัญญาบัตรผู้ทำการในตำแหน่งนั้น ๆ ได้เปรียบเทียบแล้ว
(๔) ในคดีซึ่งเปรียบเทียบได้ตามกฎหมายอื่น
เมื่อผู้ต้องหาได้ชำระค่าปรับตามคำเปรียบเทียบของพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่แล้ว
English translation
A criminal case may be terminated as follows:
(1) In a case punishable by a fine only, when the offender consents to pay the fine at the maximum rate for that offence to the competent official before the court's consideration.
(2) In a case of a petty offence, or an offence whose penalty rate is not higher than that of a petty offence, or another case punishable by a fine only with a maximum not exceeding ten thousand baht, or an offence against the law relating to taxation punishable by a fine with a maximum not exceeding ten thousand baht, when the alleged offender has paid the fine as compounded by the inquiry official.
(3) In a case of a petty offence, or an offence whose penalty rate is not higher than that of a petty offence, or a case punishable by a fine only with a maximum not exceeding ten thousand baht, occurring in Bangkok Metropolis, when the alleged offender has paid the fine as compounded by the police officer in charge of the locality of the rank of inspector or above, or a commissioned police officer acting in that position.
(4) In a case which may be compounded under other laws, when the alleged offender has paid the fine according to the compounding of the competent official.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 37 lists the ways a minor criminal case is terminated (เลิกกัน) through payment of a fine, avoiding a full prosecution. The four sub-sections cover fine-only offences settled before the court considers the case, petty and low-penalty offences and small tax offences compounded by the inquiry official, the same offences occurring in Bangkok compounded by a senior police officer, and cases compoundable under other laws. Termination under this section is one of the grounds that extinguishes the right to prosecute under Section 39(3). Because it is an administrative compounding and not a court judgment, it does not carry the fact-binding effect of a criminal judgment on a related civil case.
Why this matters in practice
Paying a compounding fine on a minor offence permanently closes the criminal case and bars a later prosecution for the same offence, which is usually a good outcome for the accused. But be aware of the flip side: because the compounding is not a court judgment, it does not settle the facts for a connected civil claim, so a related damages case can still be fully contested. If a compounded traffic or minor offence overlaps with a civil dispute, understand how the two cases interact before you pay.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 7630/2549 (2006)
When an alleged offender pays the fine compounded by the inquiry official for a petty offence, the case terminates under Section 37(2).
Two plaintiffs were drunk and disorderly in public, a petty offence, and paid the fine compounded by the inquiry official, so their case terminated under Section 37(2). The court went on to treat their separate accusation that an officer had assaulted them as a valid complaint under Section 2(7).
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 5211/2559 (2016)
Where a single act breaches several laws, so that the heaviest provision must be applied under Penal Code section 90, the inquiry official has no power to compound the fine for the lighter offence in order to terminate the whole case, including the heavier offence, under Section 37. Even if the official has already compounded it, the compounding is ineffective, the case does not terminate, and the court may still punish under the heavier provision.
The defendant's driving breached section 43 (4) with section 157 of the Land Traffic Act B.E. 2522, punishable by a fine of 400 to 1,000 baht, and also Penal Code sections 291 and 390. These were one act breaching several laws. The Supreme Court held the inquiry official had no power to compound the traffic fine so as to terminate the heavier offence too, so the compounding was ineffective, the case did not terminate under Section 37, and the courts below were right to convict of careless driving causing bodily harm under Penal Code section 390.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 2853/2550 (2007)
A compounding and fine payment before the inquiry official terminates the criminal case under Section 37 but is not a court judgment, so it does not bind the facts of a connected civil case under Section 46.
The defendant let the inquiry official compound and paid the fine, which merely terminated the criminal case under Section 37. Because that compounding was not a criminal judgment, Section 46 did not require the civil court to adopt its facts, and the appellate court was wrong to treat the driver's admission of negligence as binding on the civil claim.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 20 Supreme Court decisions (1955 to 2023)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 5211/2559 (2016)
- Decision 2853/2550 (2007)
- Decision 5942/2548 (2005)
- Decision 2349/2547 (2004)
- Decision 1941/2544 (2001)
- Decision 184/2542 (1999)
- Decision 354/2541 (1998)
- Decision 2849/2540 (1997)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 39 9
- Article 29 du Code pénal thaïlandais 7
- Article 90 du Code pénal thaïlandais 7
- Article 78 du Code pénal thaïlandais 6
- Article 30 du Code pénal thaïlandais 6
- Article 91 du Code pénal thaïlandais 4
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Que signifie la clôture d'une affaire pénale en vertu de l'article 37 ?
Cela signifie qu'une affaire mineure est classée sans suite dès que le contrevenant s'acquitte de l'amende fixée par l'autorité compétente ou l'agent de police, sans procès au fond. La procédure pénale relative à cette infraction prend alors fin.
Le paiement d'une amende cumulative empêche-t-il des poursuites ultérieures ?
Oui. Une fois l'affaire close en vertu de l'article 37, le droit de poursuivre cette infraction s'éteint en vertu de l'article 39(3), elle ne peut donc plus être intentée.
Une amende composée peut-elle régler un litige civil connexe ?
Non. Une transaction en vertu de l'article 37 n'est pas un jugement du tribunal, elle ne lie donc pas les faits dans une affaire civile connexe, qui peuvent toujours être pleinement contestés.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Criminal Procedure Code, s. 37 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Criminal Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 37. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-37/ (accessed 1 septembre 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.วิ.อ. มาตรา 37 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-37/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-37/"><p>A criminal case may be terminated as follows: (1) In a case punishable by a fine only, when the offender consents to pay the fine at the maximum rate for that offence to the competent official before the court's consideration. (2) In a case of…</p><footer>Criminal Procedure Code, s. 37 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-37/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.