Hollywood superstar and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been detained by German customs officers at Munich Airport on suspicion of illegally importing an ultra-luxe wristwatch, which was to be sold at a charity auction.
The Terminator star was held for several hours after officers discovered the custom-built Audemars Piguet watch in his luggage during what German Customs officials have described as a random inspection.
Schwarzenegger arrived in Munich on Wednesday following a nearly 11-hour flight from Los Angeles. The 76-year-old bodybuilder intended to travel to the small alpine town of Kitzbühel in Austria to attend the World Climate Summit.
The Audemars Piguet wristwatch, specially made for Schwarzenegger, was to be sold off at a special dinner on Thursday evening before the official start of the summit, according to Bild.
The fact that the watch was to be sold attracted further investigation from Customs officials who believe that the luxury timepiece should have been declared and import tax paid on it.
Schwarzenegger was said to be calm for the first few hours of being detained by police but as his detention continued, his temper was said to be becoming frayed.
A spokesperson for the main customs office in Munich told local German media: “We have initiated criminal proceedings under tax law. The watch should have been registered because it is an import.”
Government scum taxing charity.
The police had no verification that was the case
Yeah great police work there, sitting someone for doing a charity auction. Give those guys a raise woo hoo, u would think, there time might be better spent catching drug smugglers and such, rather than hours of there time enforcing tax collection on something that someone is giving away to a charity. Sad. The money grab, is there main priority.