Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was held at a German airport for an extended period on Wednesday and is now set to undergo legal proceedings for failing to declare a high-end watch at customs.
The actor-turned-politician, known for his role as the Terminator, was detained by authorities at Munich International Airport when they found a custom-made Swiss Audemars Piguet wristwatch valued at around $21,000 in his luggage. This information was reported by the German news outlet Bild.
Munich customs office spokesman Thomas Meister announced, “Criminal tax proceedings have been initiated by us. This will then be processed by our criminal and fines office.”
A spokesperson for the 76-year-old actor explained that he had traveled from Los Angeles with the intention of contributing the wristwatch to be auctioned off at a charity event arranged by his climate foundation in Kitzbühel, his hometown in Austria.
Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson said, “None of the people I know and sat next to on our commercial flight filled out a declaration form, including Arnold. He got to customs, and they told him he was ‘randomly’ selected to be searched. During the search, he answered every single question the customs officer asked, so to say he didn’t declare anything is 100% false.”
Ketchell further mentioned that customs officers interrogated Schwarzenegger for a duration of three hours, leading to a $38,000 penalty due to his failure to register the imported watch for taxation. Nevertheless, difficulties emerged as Schwarzenegger was unable to settle the fine using a credit card. Customs officials accompanied him to an ATM, and during this time, his partner, physiotherapist Heather Milligan, aged 49, was detained to ensure his return.
Actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained by customs officials at Munich Airport for not declaring a luxury watch that was potentially to be auctioned at a charity event. pic.twitter.com/Gnftw7VWmI
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) January 18, 2024
As the required sum exceeded the funds accessible at the bank, Schwarzenegger was eventually allowed to make the payment using a distinct credit card reader.
Thomas Meiste, the spokesperson for the customs office in Munich, conveyed in a statement, “We have initiated criminal tax proceedings. The watch should have been registered because it is an import.”
At first, Schwarzenegger seemed to treat the incident casually, but as time passed, he reportedly became visibly agitated and frustrated with the circumstances.
Schwarzenegger said, “This is the problem that Germany is suffering from. You can no longer see the forest for the trees.”
