(DailyDig.com) – Various sources state that on January 17, Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s former governor, was held for many hours at Munich Airport due to an unregistered expensive watch.
Customs officers reportedly held the 76-year-old actor, who was born in Austria, for three hours at the airport upon his landing from Los Angeles, as reported in a German publication. On the evening of January 18, Schwarzenegger was planning to take the watch which he intended to give to a charity auction during the Climate Summit in the ski resort of Kitzbühel in Austria.
According to media reports, customs authorities found the pricey watch after a routine luggage search that did not indicate any suspicious activity.
The newspaper reports that the Swiss firm Audemars Piguet manufactured the tribute piece from Schwarzenegger’s private collection, which the actor supposedly valued at more than $21,700.
Thomas Meister, a spokesperson for the Customs Office of Munich, announced the commencement of criminal procedures according to tax legislation, as the actor reportedly failed to document the watch as an import on his arrival’s customs form.
This is the issue that Germany is facing, according to Schwarzenegger. The country cannot see the whole picture surrounding the issue, he said. After all, even after informing authorities that the watch was up for auction, Germany still levied a penalty of almost $38,000, with half of that amount due in cash.
According to a customs spokesperson, declaring the products is necessary if they are to stay in the EU, and this rule is universally applicable to everyone.
Reports indicate that Schwarzenegger spent three hours in custody and was escorted to a local bank to collect the fine payment. An airport authority brought in a functional credit card device after the ATM ran out of money.
Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Daniel Ketchell, stated that attorneys are handling the matter and do not anticipate any problems since Arnold consistently pays his taxes. However, it is yet unknown if Schwarzenegger will be subject to any further sanctions.
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