Customs officials detained Arnold Schwarzenegger at Munich airport for three hours Wednesday, citing their agency had “initiated criminal tax proceedings” against him.
The 76-year-old star was held up for “traveling with a watch he owns,” that customs believed he “might be auctioning” at his charity in Kitzbuhel, Austria, according to Page Six. Munich’s customs spokesman Thomas Meister told Bild news outlet, the watch “should have been registered” because it was an import. The watch in question is a luxury Audemars Piguet timepiece valued at over $21,000, according to Page Six.
NEW – Germany initiates criminal tax proceedings against Arnold Schwarzenegger: Customs caught him with an undeclared luxury watch at Munich airport — BILD pic.twitter.com/kxp7X4CAYx
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 17, 2024
A source close to the matter insisted that Schwarzenegger was “never asked to fill out a declaration form and he answered every question from customs officers honestly.”
They went on to say, “he cooperated at every step even though it was an incompetent shakedown, a total comedy of errors that would make a very funny cop movie.” The former governor of California did not seem overly concerned with the allegations made against him, according to Page Six.
Reports indicate Schwarzenegger was seen smiling at the press and paparazzi while holding up a box that reportedly contained the watch in question.
WASHINGTON – MARCH 20: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger looks on during a brief press conference outside the White House March 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Those close to the matter noted Schwarzenegger agreed to pre-pay any potential taxes on the future sale of the watch, even though it was his personal property, according to the outlet. However, customs officials encountered difficulties with the transaction after the card machine used to process the payment reportedly wasn’t working properly.
After an hour of attempting to proceed with the payment through that method, Schwarzenegger attempted to switch gears by withdrawing the money from an ATM, according to Page Six. The funds required exceeded the amount the ATM could process, and the bank was already closed, which caused further delay.
“When he returned, a new officer brought a new credit card machine that worked,” the insider source told Page Six.
Schwarzenegger “initially took the interrogation fairly calmly, but then the time and the procedure got on his nerves,” they noted.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attends an event marking the completion of a 4-acre solar rooftop constructed atop AltaSea’s research and development facility at the Port of Los Angeles, in the San Pedro neighborhood, on April 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
He has since been released from the airport and reportedly intends to continue with the planned auctioning of his watch, scheduled for Thursday, according to Page Six.
“The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative will properly report it, as all of Arnold’s non-profits do,” the insider source told the outlet. “His charity auctions raise millions of dollars every year for after-school programs for kids all over the United States and environmental work around the world.” (RELATED: ‘I Would’ve Made A Great President’: Arnold Schwarzenegger Believes He Would Have Won The Campaign)
“We hope Germany spends as much energy turning around their economy as they do asking for tax payments for people’s property they bring into the country, and we hope next time they don’t make him pay taxes on his suits,” the insider added, according to Page Six.