Section 249 — Civil Enforcement of Restitution Orders
Statutory text (Thai original)
คำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งให้คืนหรือใช้ราคาทรัพย์สิน ค่าสินไหมทดแทนหรือค่าธรรมเนียมนั้น ให้บังคับตามบทบัญญัติแห่งประมวลกฎหมายวิธีพิจารณาความแพ่ง
English translation
A judgment or order to return or pay the value of property, to pay compensation, or to pay fees shall be enforced in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Procedure Code.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 249 bridges the criminal and civil enforcement regimes: although the underlying order arises in a criminal case, its monetary and restitution elements are enforced under the Civil Procedure Code. The victim in whose favor the order runs stands as a judgment creditor, and the tools of civil execution, including seizure and the CPC time limits, apply. It works alongside sections 43 and 44/1 (the prosecutor's or victim's restitution and compensation claims) on the input side and the CPC on the enforcement side.
Why this matters in practice
For a victim holding a restitution or compensation order from a criminal court, this section is how you actually collect: you enforce as a judgment creditor under the Civil Procedure Code, seizing and selling the defendant's assets, and you are bound by the CPC's enforcement time limit. Enforcement of the civil part generally does not have to wait for the criminal case to become final. Firms handling this overlap of collection and litigation can help, see debt collection lawyer in Thailand.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3447/2558 (2015)
Once a criminal court orders the return or payment of the value of property, the victim is a judgment creditor and enforcement of the civil part proceeds under the Civil Procedure Code by force of section 249.
The Court explained that although the prosecutor may claim property or its value for the victim under section 43, once restitution is ordered the victim becomes a judgment creditor under CPC section 50, and section 249 still directs that the civil part be enforced under the Civil Procedure Code, including its section 271 enforcement time limit.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3659/2556 (2013)
Enforcement of an order to return or pay the value of property under section 249 follows the Civil Procedure Code and need not wait until the criminal case becomes final.
The first-instance court held that enforcement to return or pay the value of property must follow the Civil Procedure Code under section 249, need not await finality, and there was no ground to revoke the writ of execution or the seizure of the land; the point turned on the reach of section 249.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 11216/2555 (2012)
Because the civil part must follow the facts established in the criminal judgment, enforcement of the civil restitution part under section 249 need not wait for the criminal case to become final.
Reading sections 40, 47, 50 and 249 together with CPC section 231 and the rule in section 46 that the civil case follows the criminal facts, the Court treated the criminal case as controlling and addressed whether the joint plaintiff could proceed with civil execution without waiting for the criminal case to conclude.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
How is a criminal court's order to pay compensation enforced?
Under section 249 it is enforced according to the Civil Procedure Code; the victim acts as a judgment creditor and may seize and sell the defendant's assets.
Must enforcement of the civil part wait until the criminal case is final?
The Supreme Court has held that enforcement to return or pay the value of property under section 249 follows the Civil Procedure Code and need not wait for the criminal case to become final.