Article 98: Prescription of punishment enforcement
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อได้มีคำพิพากษาถึงที่สุดให้ลงโทษผู้ใด ผู้นั้นยังมิได้รับโทษก็ดี ได้รับโทษแต่ยังไม่ครบถ้วนโดยหลบหนีก็ดี ถ้ายังมิได้ตัวผู้นั้นมาเพื่อรับโทษนับแต่วันที่มีคำพิพากษาถึงที่สุด หรือนับแต่วันที่ผู้กระทำความผิดหลบหนี แล้วแต่กรณี เกินกำหนดเวลาดังต่อไปนี้ เป็นอันล่วงเลยการลงโทษ จะลงโทษผู้นั้นมิได้ (๑) ยี่สิบปี สำหรับโทษประหารชีวิต จำคุกตลอดชีวิตหรือจำคุกยี่สิบปี (๒) สิบห้าปี สำหรับโทษจำคุกกว่าเจ็ดปีแต่ยังไม่ถึงยี่สิบปี (๓) สิบปี สำหรับโทษจำคุกกว่าหนึ่งปีถึงเจ็ดปี (๔) ห้าปี สำหรับโทษจำคุกตั้งแต่หนึ่งปีลงมาหรือโทษอย่างอื่น
English translation
When a final judgment has been given to punish any person, if the judgment is not enforced within the following periods counted from the date the judgment becomes final, the punishment lapses and that person may no longer be punished:
(1) twenty years for the punishment of death, imprisonment for life, or imprisonment of twenty years;
(2) fifteen years for imprisonment of more than seven years but not reaching twenty years;
(3) ten years for imprisonment of more than one year but not exceeding seven years;
(4) five years for imprisonment of one year or less, or another punishment.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 98 sets prescription for the enforcement of punishment, distinct from Section 95 which limits prosecution. It runs from the date a judgment becomes final and, like Section 95, is tiered by severity, from five years for the lightest penalties up to twenty years for death, life, or twenty-year imprisonment. If the state does not carry out the sentence within the tier, the punishment lapses entirely. This matters most where a convicted person has evaded execution, for example by absconding, and it also governs suspended sentences, which must be brought to bear within the applicable period. Special statutes on corruption expressly borrow Section 98 to measure the lapse of punishment for those who flee after a final judgment.
Why this matters in practice
For a convicted person who has never been made to serve, Section 98 can end the matter: if enforcement does not happen within five to twenty years of the judgment becoming final, the punishment lapses and cannot be revived. This is a real defence when an old warrant surfaces years later, and it also caps how long a suspended sentence in an earlier case can be activated and stacked onto a new one. Note that some special laws suspend the running of this period while a defendant is in flight, so the calculation is not always mechanical. If an old sentence resurfaces, have counsel check whether Section 98 has already run; you can book a consultation.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 8244/2563 (2020)
Under Section 98(4), a punishment of one year or less must be enforced within five years of the final judgment, and enforcement within that period is timely.
The court held the enforcement period was five years from the final judgment under Section 98(4). Counting from when the Supreme Court judgment was read to the arrest, the period had not expired, so the warrant of imprisonment was valid.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 1142/2565 (2022)
A suspended sentence in an earlier case remains subject to the enforcement prescription in Section 98, so it cannot be added to a later sentence once that period has lapsed.
The court held that although the sentencing court may add a previously suspended sentence to a new one, the earlier suspended sentence is still governed by the enforcement prescription in Section 98, so it could not be activated after that period had lapsed.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 2659/2565 (2022)
Where a convicted person flees after a final judgment, Section 98 measures the lapse of punishment, and special anti-corruption rules may exclude the time spent in flight from that period.
The decision applied Section 98 to measure the lapse of punishment for defendants who fled after a final judgment, noting that under the special anti-corruption framework the period of flight is not counted as part of the prescription time.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 11 Supreme Court decisions (2004 to 2022)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 1142/2565 (2022)
- Decision 8244/2563 (2020)
- Decision 10494/2558 (2015)
- Décision 9955/2558 (2015)
- Decision 17905/2557 (2014)
- Decision 3952/2547 (2004)
- Decision 2659/2565 (2022)
- Decision 232/2562 (2019)
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 91 6
- Article 95 4
- Article 157 4
- Thai CrPC s. 68 3
- Art. 15 du Code de procédure pénale thaïlandais 3
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 se passe-t-il si une sentence n'est pas exécutée à temps ?
En vertu de l'article 98, si la peine n'est pas appliquée dans le délai applicable de cinq à vingt ans à compter du jugement définitif, la peine est caduque et la personne ne peut plus être punie.
L’article 98 est-il différent du délai de poursuite ?
Oui. L'article 95 limite la durée des poursuites, tandis que l'article 98 limite la durée de l'exécution de la peine après que le jugement soit devenu définitif.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Penal Code, s. 98 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Penal Code (Thailand), s. 98. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-98/ (accessed 30 août 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.อ. มาตรา 98 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-98/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-98/"><p>When a final judgment has been given to punish any person, if the judgment is not enforced within the following periods counted from the date the judgment becomes final, the punishment lapses and that person may no longer be punished: (1) twenty years for the…</p><footer>Penal Code, s. 98 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-penal-code/section-98/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.