Arnold Schwarzenegger has been fined €35,000 after being detained at Munich Airport and quizzed ‘under tax law’ over an unregistered luxury watch he was planning to auction, according to German media.
The Terminator actor, 76, was told he had to pay half of the customs fees in cash, and was escorted by an officer to withdraw the huge sum from a bank, BILD reports.
His 49-year-old girlfriend Heather Milligan and a friend – both of whom had accompanied him on a flight from Los Angeles this afternoon – were not allowed to go to the bank with him, the German tabloid also reports.
The film star, who has dual Austrian and US citizenship, was pictured with customs officers this afternoon and is said to have waited three hours with authorities before being let go.
Speaking before his release, a customs officer said ‘the watch will probably have to stay’. Arnie is said to have been on his way to attend a climate charity auction being held tomorrow in Kitzbühel, Austria.
The Terminator actor, 76, was seen holding a box in a customs office at Munich airport, in a picture obtained by BILD
As the news emerged, the former bodybuilder shared a bizarre Instagram snap of him seemingly sharing a biscuit with his pet pig
US-Austrian actor, businessman, retired bodybuilder and former Governor of California, speaks during the opening of the Austrian World Summit in 2023
The watch is reported to be a valuable timepiece which was made for him by Swiss luxury brand Audemars Piguet.
The passionate climate campaigner was planning to auction it off at a dinner on Thursday, BILD reports.
Shortly after news of his customs run-in emerged, the former bodybuilder shared a bizarre Instagram snap of him seemingly sharing a biscuit with his pet pig.
Spokesman for the Munich Main Customs Office, Thomas Meister, said tax should have been paid on the watch because Schwarzenegger was intending to sell it in the European Union.
‘If the goods remain in the EU, you have to declare them through customs. This applies to everyone, whether their name is Schwarzenegger or Müller, Meier, Huber,’ a customs spokesman told German outlet SZ.
The former California Governor is said to have told BILD that the watch was meant to be auctioned off for charity.
‘This is the problem that Germany is suffering from. You can no longer see the forest for the trees,’ he reportedly told the paper.
The ex politician is known for his love of flashy watches, and famously brought out his own limited edition model with Audemars Piguet in 1999.
Only 1,500 of the Royal Oak Offshore ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger The Legacy’ pieces were ever produced and they retail for more than £30,000.
File image shows Arnold Schwarzenegger holds a Audemars Piguet watch included in a 2003 auction
Schwarzenegger brought out his own limited edition model with Audemars Piguet in 1999
His extensive collection of watches is also said to include pieces by Rolex and other luxury brands.
It is not known which exact timepiece from his collection he was allegedly held up over.
The Austrian born actor was also on his way to watch the Hahnenkamm Race, a major contest in the Alpine ski calendar.
He runs Vienna-based charity The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, an eco group which is raising funds at a party during the prestigious race week.