Arnold Schwarzenegger Detained at German Airport Over Luxury Watch Destined for Charity Auction
Arnold Schwarzenegger was held by German customs authorities for hours at Munich Airport Wednesday because of a pricey watch he carried that was potentially up for auction.
The Associated Press reported that the “Terminator” star was detained for about 2½ hours after a routine check once he arrived at the airport. The German newspaper Bild first reported the incident.
The European Union requires that goods worth more than 430 euros, or $467, that will stay in the country have to be declared and have duty paid on them.
Bild reported that Schwarzenegger claimed the allegedly undeclared custom-made watch crafted by Swiss manufacturer Audemars Piguet was worth about 20,000 euros, or $21,739.
Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative told the AP that the former California governor was detained “for traveling with a watch he owns, that he might be auctioning at his charity auction,” in neighboring Austria.
The charity, which organizes the annual Austrian World Summit, is hosting “Auction for a clean future,” in Kitzbuhel on Thursday to raise funds for its after-school programs for children across the U.S. and environmental work around the world. Among the lots are a training session with Schwarzenegger, VIP tickets for a Real Madrid game and works of art and signed trinkets from the worlds of sports and film.
The emailed statement from the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative said the 76-year-old icon “cooperated at every step even though it was an incompetent shakedown” and that he agreed to “prepay potential taxes on the watch (remember, it is his personal watch).”
It said that the watch was still likely to be auctioned and the climate initiative and that he “will properly report it, as all of Arnold’s nonprofits do.”
A customs penalty body in Augsburg will evaluate the case, The AP reported.
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