Section 37 — When a criminal case terminates
Statutory text (Thai original)
คดีอาญาเลิกกันได้ ดังต่อไปนี้
(๑) ในคดีมีโทษปรับสถานเดียว เมื่อผู้กระทำผิดยินยอมเสียค่าปรับในอัตราอย่างสูงสำหรับความผิดนั้นแก่พนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่ก่อนศาลพิจารณา
(๒) ในคดีความผิดที่เป็นลหุโทษหรือความผิดที่มีอัตราโทษไม่สูงกว่าความผิดลหุโทษ หรือคดีอื่นที่มีโทษปรับสถานเดียวอย่างสูงไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท หรือความผิดต่อกฎหมายเกี่ยวกับภาษีอากรซึ่งมีโทษปรับอย่างสูงไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท เมื่อผู้ต้องหาชำระค่าปรับตามที่พนักงานสอบสวนได้เปรียบเทียบแล้ว
(๓) ในคดีความผิดที่เป็นลหุโทษหรือความผิดที่มีอัตราโทษไม่สูงกว่าความผิดลหุโทษ หรือคดีที่มีโทษปรับสถานเดียวอย่างสูงไม่เกินหนึ่งหมื่นบาท ซึ่งเกิดในกรุงเทพมหานคร เมื่อผู้ต้องหาชำระค่าปรับตามที่นายตำรวจประจำท้องที่ตั้งแต่ตำแหน่งสารวัตรขึ้นไป หรือนายตำรวจชั้นสัญญาบัตรผู้ทำการในตำแหน่งนั้น ๆ ได้เปรียบเทียบแล้ว
(๔) ในคดีซึ่งเปรียบเทียบได้ตามกฎหมายอื่น
เมื่อผู้ต้องหาได้ชำระค่าปรับตามคำเปรียบเทียบของพนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่แล้ว
English translation
A criminal case may be terminated as follows:
(1) In a case punishable by a fine only, when the offender consents to pay the fine at the maximum rate for that offence to the competent official before the court's consideration.
(2) In a case of a petty offence, or an offence whose penalty rate is not higher than that of a petty offence, or another case punishable by a fine only with a maximum not exceeding ten thousand baht, or an offence against the law relating to taxation punishable by a fine with a maximum not exceeding ten thousand baht, when the alleged offender has paid the fine as compounded by the inquiry official.
(3) In a case of a petty offence, or an offence whose penalty rate is not higher than that of a petty offence, or a case punishable by a fine only with a maximum not exceeding ten thousand baht, occurring in Bangkok Metropolis, when the alleged offender has paid the fine as compounded by the police officer in charge of the locality of the rank of inspector or above, or a commissioned police officer acting in that position.
(4) In a case which may be compounded under other laws, when the alleged offender has paid the fine according to the compounding of the competent official.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 37 lists the ways a minor criminal case is terminated (เลิกกัน) through payment of a fine, avoiding a full prosecution. The four sub-sections cover fine-only offences settled before the court considers the case, petty and low-penalty offences and small tax offences compounded by the inquiry official, the same offences occurring in Bangkok compounded by a senior police officer, and cases compoundable under other laws. Termination under this section is one of the grounds that extinguishes the right to prosecute under Section 39(3). Because it is an administrative compounding and not a court judgment, it does not carry the fact-binding effect of a criminal judgment on a related civil case.
Why this matters in practice
Paying a compounding fine on a minor offence permanently closes the criminal case and bars a later prosecution for the same offence, which is usually a good outcome for the accused. But be aware of the flip side: because the compounding is not a court judgment, it does not settle the facts for a connected civil claim, so a related damages case can still be fully contested. If a compounded traffic or minor offence overlaps with a civil dispute, understand how the two cases interact before you pay.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 7630/2549 (2006)
When an alleged offender pays the fine compounded by the inquiry official for a petty offence, the case terminates under Section 37(2).
Two plaintiffs were drunk and disorderly in public, a petty offence, and paid the fine compounded by the inquiry official, so their case terminated under Section 37(2). The court went on to treat their separate accusation that an officer had assaulted them as a valid complaint under Section 2(7).
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 5211/2559 (2016)
Where an offence includes a petty component, paying the fine so that the case terminates under Section 37 extinguishes the right to prosecute that offence under Section 39.
The charge had a petty-offence component under Penal Code Section 390 and the Land Traffic Act. Once the defendant paid the fine and the injured person no longer pursued the matter, the case terminated under Section 37, extinguishing the right to prosecute that count under Section 39, so convicting on Section 390 was improper.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2853/2550 (2007)
A compounding and fine payment before the inquiry official terminates the criminal case under Section 37 but is not a court judgment, so it does not bind the facts of a connected civil case under Section 46.
The defendant let the inquiry official compound and paid the fine, which merely terminated the criminal case under Section 37. Because that compounding was not a criminal judgment, Section 46 did not require the civil court to adopt its facts, and the appellate court was wrong to treat the driver's admission of negligence as binding on the civil claim.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean for a criminal case to terminate under Section 37?
It means a minor case is closed once the offender pays a fine set by the competent official or police officer, without a full trial. This ends the criminal proceeding for that offence.
Does paying a compounding fine stop a later prosecution?
Yes. Once the case terminates under Section 37, the right to prosecute that offence is extinguished under Section 39(3), so it cannot be brought again.
Does a compounded fine decide a related civil claim?
No. A compounding under Section 37 is not a court judgment, so it does not bind the facts in a connected civil case, which can still be fully contested.