Article 43 — Prosecutor's claim for stolen property or value
Texte légal (original thaï)
คดีลักทรัพย์ วิ่งราว ชิงทรัพย์ ปล้นทรัพย์ โจรสลัด กรรโชก ฉ้อโกง ยักยอกหรือรับของโจร ถ้าผู้เสียหายมีสิทธิที่จะเรียกร้องทรัพย์สินหรือราคาที่เขาสูญเสียไปเนื่องจากการกระทำผิดคืน เมื่อพนักงานอัยการยื่นฟ้องคดีอาญา ก็ให้เรียกทรัพย์สินหรือราคาแทนผู้เสียหายด้วย
traduction anglaise
In cases of theft, snatching, robbery, gang robbery, piracy, extortion, cheating and fraud, misappropriation, or receiving stolen property, if the injured person has a right to reclaim the property or the value of what was lost through the offence, then when the public prosecutor files the criminal charge, the prosecutor shall also claim the property or its value on behalf of the injured person.
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
Section 43 lets the State recover property for victims of enumerated property offences, theft, snatching, robbery, gang robbery, piracy, extortion, cheating and fraud, misappropriation, and receiving stolen property, without the victim having to run a separate civil suit. The duty is on the public prosecutor to include the restitution claim when charging. The list of offences is exhaustive: an offence outside it, such as malicious mischief, does not trigger the prosecutor's power to reclaim property or value under this section, and a victim in that situation must instead use the compensation route in section 44/1. It works with section 44 (how and when the claim is filed) and section 50 (the victim becomes a judgment creditor).
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
If you are the victim of theft, fraud or a similar listed offence, restitution can ride along with the prosecution at no separate court fee, so you often do not need to file your own civil case just to recover the property or its value. Watch the boundary: if the charge is not one of the listed offences, the prosecutor cannot claim for you under this section and you must pursue compensation yourself. Before assuming the prosecutor will cover your loss, it is worth confirming the exact charge and, where the amount is significant, taking advice through a consultation with a Thai lawyer.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4380/2568 (2025)
The offences in Section 43 are an exhaustive list; malicious mischief is not among them, so the prosecutor cannot claim return or value of property under Section 43 for that charge.
The prosecutor charged only joint malicious mischief and made no restitution request in the prayer. The Court held that malicious mischief is not an offence listed in Section 43, so there was no basis for the prosecutor to claim return or value of the property, and the injured co-plaintiff had also not filed a compensation motion under Section 44/1.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2289/2568 (2025)
In a theft case the injured person's right to reclaim the property or its value under Section 43 can be pursued through the connected civil channels of Sections 44 and 44/1.
The Court set out that Section 43 gives the theft victim a right to reclaim the stolen property or its value, that Section 44 allows the prosecutor to include the claim or file it during the trial, and that Section 44/1 allows the injured person to seek compensation. It applied this framework to a claim to recover a stolen gold ring or its value.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3399/2568 (2025)
Where restitution is claimed under Section 43 within a fraud prosecution, no separate court-fee order is required for the civil part.
The defendant was convicted of joint fraud and ordered to return 1,100,000 baht still owed to the victim. The Court noted that, because the claim was made under Section 43, no order on court fees for the civil part was needed.
Décisions sélectionnées avec numéros de dossier vérifiés dans la base de données de la Cour suprême. Les versions anglaises sont des traductions éditoriales réalisées par le cabinet à des fins d'étude.
Foire aux questions
Which crimes let the prosecutor reclaim property for the victim?
Section 43 lists theft, snatching, robbery, gang robbery, piracy, extortion, cheating and fraud, misappropriation, and receiving stolen property. Only these enumerated offences trigger the prosecutor's restitution duty.
What if my case is malicious mischief, not theft?
Malicious mischief is not on the Section 43 list, so the prosecutor cannot reclaim property or value for you under this section. You would instead file a compensation motion under Section 44/1.
Do I pay a court fee when the prosecutor claims restitution?
No. When restitution is claimed under Section 43, no separate court-fee order is needed, since the claim is made by the prosecutor within the criminal case.