Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to undergo criminal tax proceedings in Germany after neglecting to declare an item upon entering the country, according to a Munich Customs press officer who spoke with CNN on Wednesday.
The press officer, Thomas Meister, explained, “He did not declare a product.
A product that was imported from non-EU countries in order to remain in the EU. And this process applies to everyone.”
After more than two hours of detention, the former California governor and movie star was eventually released and continued his journey.
A source close to Schwarzenegger informed CNN that he was detained for three hours at Munich airport due to a watch he owned, possibly intended for auction at a charity event in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
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The watch in question was reportedly from the Swiss luxury brand Audemars Piguet.
Despite not being asked to complete a declaration form, Schwarzenegger reportedly answered all customs officers’ questions honestly.
“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 source added.
To resolve the situation, the actor agreed to pre-pay potential taxes on the watch.
However, the customs officers encountered difficulties when attempting to use a credit card machine for an hour.
Eventually, they took him to a bank and requested him to withdraw cash from an ATM to settle the payment, but the ATM had a low limit, and the bank was closed.
Upon his return, a new officer brought a functional credit card machine, and the transaction was completed successfully, according to the source.