Section 141 — Known offender not yet arrested
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้ารู้ตัวผู้กระทำความผิด แต่เรียกหรือจับตัวยังไม่ได้ เมื่อได้ความตามทางสอบสวนอย่างใด ให้ทำความเห็นว่าควรสั่งฟ้องหรือสั่งไม่ฟ้องส่งไปพร้อมกับสำนวนยังพนักงานอัยการถ้าพนักงานอัยการเห็นชอบด้วยว่าควรสั่งไม่ฟ้อง ให้ยุติการสอบสวนโดยสั่งไม่ฟ้อง และให้แจ้งคำสั่งนี้ให้พนักงานสอบสวนทราบถ้าพนักงานอัยการเห็นว่าควรสอบสวนต่อไป ก็ให้สั่งพนักงานสอบสวนปฏิบัติเช่นนั้นถ้าพนักงานอัยการเห็นว่าควรสั่งฟ้อง ก็ให้จัดการอย่างหนึ่งอย่างใดเพื่อให้ได้ตัวผู้ต้องหามา ถ้าผู้ต้องหาอยู่ต่างประเทศ ให้พนักงานอัยการจัดการเพื่อขอให้ส่งตัวข้ามแดนมา
English translation
If the offender is known but cannot yet be summoned or arrested, when any facts are obtained through the investigation the inquiry official shall prepare an opinion whether prosecution should be ordered or not and send it together with the file to the public prosecutor. If the public prosecutor concurs that non-prosecution should be ordered, the investigation shall be terminated by a non-prosecution order, and this order shall be notified to the inquiry official. If the public prosecutor is of the opinion that the investigation should continue, he shall order the inquiry official to do so. If the public prosecutor is of the opinion that prosecution should be ordered, he shall take some action to secure the accused; if the accused is abroad, the public prosecutor shall take steps to request extradition.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This section handles the known-but-absent offender within the closing stage of ordinary investigation, sitting between section 140's decision point and sections 142 to 144. It confirms that a prosecute or non-prosecute opinion can be formed even before the accused is charged or in custody. The final paragraph provides the mechanism for securing an accused who is abroad through an extradition request, and its fourth paragraph is applied by analogy in special-court procedure requiring the plaintiff to bring the accused before the court.
Why this matters in practice
For a complainant, this section means a case is not dead just because the suspect has fled; the prosecutor retains the duty to pursue the accused and, where needed, extradition. For an accused who is overseas, the extradition path in the final paragraph is the point where cross-border legal exposure becomes real. Either situation benefits from early advice from a licensed Thai lawyer on how the file is likely to be handled.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1172/2566 (2023)
A prosecute or non-prosecute opinion is made once the responsible inquiry official sees the investigation as complete, and may be formed before charging where the offender cannot yet be summoned or arrested under section 141 paragraph one.
The court explained that under sections 140 and 141 paragraph one, an opinion on prosecution may be formed before charging, such as where an offender has fled, and on that basis the special-case inquiry official properly formed an opinion to prosecute the corporate defendant and the absconding individual in order to summon the corporate representative for charging.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 13849/2553 (2010)
Where the plaintiff has a duty to take steps to secure the accused, a prosecution filed without the accused present, relying on a separate case, cannot be accepted.
Applying section 141 paragraph four through the special IP and International Trade Court procedure, the court held that because the plaintiff had a duty to take some action to secure the defendant, it could not file this case without the defendant present by relying on the defendant already being within the court's power in a separate case; refusal to accept the plaint was correct.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Can a case proceed if the suspect has fled?
Yes. Under section 141 the inquiry official still forms an opinion on prosecution and sends the file to the prosecutor, who may act to secure the accused, including requesting extradition if the accused is abroad.
Can an opinion to prosecute be made before the accused is charged?
Yes. Section 141 allows a prosecute or non-prosecute opinion to be formed even before charging, for example where the offender cannot yet be summoned or arrested.