Article 49: Returning exhibits without a civil claim
Statutory text (Thai original)
แม้จะไม่มีฟ้องคดีส่วนแพ่งก็ตาม เมื่อพิพากษาคดีส่วนอาญา ศาลจะสั่งให้คืนทรัพย์สินของกลางแก่เจ้าของก็ได้
English translation
Even though no civil claim has been filed, the court, when adjudging the criminal case, may order the exhibits to be returned to their owner.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 49 empowers the criminal court, of its own motion in the criminal judgment, to order exhibits returned to their owner even where no connected civil claim has been made. In practice it works with section 186(9), on the required contents of a judgment: when property that was seized is neither forfeitable nor an instrument of the offence, the court must deal with it, and returning it to the owner is the proper disposal. Because the correct disposal of exhibits touches public order, the appellate and Supreme Courts may raise and correct an omission on their own initiative, even where no party has appealed the point, under sections 195 paragraph two and 225.
Why this matters in practice
If your property was seized as an exhibit but is not something the court can confiscate and was not used to commit the offence, you may get it back through the criminal judgment itself, without filing a civil claim. This is helpful for third parties whose items were caught up in a seizure, for example a phone or vehicle not actually used in the crime. Because higher courts can correct a missed return order on their own, an omission at trial is not necessarily fatal, but it is still wise to raise the point and, if the item is valuable, seek advice through a consultation with a Thai lawyer.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 3034/2565 (2022)
Exhibits that are not property used to commit the offence cannot be forfeited and must be returned to their owner under Section 49 read with Section 186(9); the court may raise this on its own initiative.
The Court found that documents, seals, pliers and related items were not property used to commit the offence, so they could not be forfeited and had to be returned to the owner under Section 49 with Section 186(9). As a public-order legal issue, the Supreme Court could raise it even though no party had appealed the point, under Section 195 paragraph two with Section 225.
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 4319/2562 (2019)
A mobile phone not shown to be used in the offence cannot be forfeited and must be returned to its owner under Section 49 with Section 186(9); the Supreme Court may correct this on its own initiative.
Because it could not be found that the defendant took part in the offence, the mobile phone was not property used in the crime and could not be forfeited; it had to be returned to its owner under Section 49 with Section 186(9) and the Narcotics Case Procedure Act. As a public-order issue, the Supreme Court raised and corrected the point on its own.
-
Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 4796/2561 (2018)
Where a defendant is found not to have joined in the offence, the appellate court has power under Section 49 with Section 186(9) and 215 to order the seized items returned to their owner.
Finding without doubt that the defendant had not joined in the offence, the Court held the appellate court had power to order the seized mobile phone and motorcycle returned to the defendant under Section 49 with Sections 186(9) and 215. It confirmed this as a public-order issue the court could raise on its own initiative.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 21 Supreme Court decisions (1951 to 2022)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 4796/2561 (2018)
- Decision 12265-12266/2556 (2013)
- Decision 539/2551 (2008)
- Decision 3762/2549 (2006)
- Decision 2715/2544 (2001)
- Decision 3712/2532 (1989)
- Decision 2414/2516 (1973)
- Decision 1788/2494 (1951)
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 186 15
- Article 83 du Code pénal thaïlandais 12
- Article 91 du Code pénal thaïlandais 11
- Article 78 du Code pénal thaïlandais 11
- Article 33 du Code pénal thaïlandais 8
- Article 195 8
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
Le tribunal peut-il me restituer ma pièce à conviction même si je n'ai pas intenté de poursuites civiles ?
Oui. L'article 49 permet au tribunal pénal d'ordonner la restitution des pièces à conviction à leur propriétaire lors du jugement de l'affaire pénale, même en l'absence de toute action civile.
Et si le tribunal de première instance avait oublié d'ordonner la restitution de mes biens ?
Le traitement correct des pièces à conviction est une question d'ordre public ; une cour d'appel ou la Cour suprême peut donc soulever et corriger l'omission de sa propre initiative, même si aucune partie n'a interjeté appel sur ce point.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
-
Citation simple
Criminal Procedure Code, s. 49 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Criminal Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 49. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-49/ (accessed 1 septembre 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.วิ.อ. มาตรา 49 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-49/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-49/"><p>Même si aucune plainte au civil n'a été déposée, le tribunal, lorsqu'il statuera sur l'affaire pénale, pourra ordonner que les pièces à conviction soient restituées à leur propriétaire.</p><footer>Criminal Procedure Code, s. 49 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-49/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.