The whole incident involved a luxury watch Arnold had failed to declare before officially getting into the country. And the whole incident took three hours to resolve. However, some news sources say Arnold will still have to get back to Germany and face trial for an attempt to skip declaring taxes.
European Union rules require anyone with valuable items priced over 8,580 pounds to declare them. It is a rule that applies to everyone, with no exception to celebrities or politicians, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger managed to pay the tax, it took so much time and effort to go through several hurdles to have the cash transaction underway.
The nearest bank to the Munich Airport was closed. The ATM withdrawal had a limit quite low for the amount Arnold was to transact. Moreover, the card machines the customs officers had were not functional so they had to find another way out. Eventually, the customs officers had to order another card machine to finalize the transaction.
The watch in question is to be auctioned in Kitzbuhel where the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative dinner and fundraiser would be held.
The watch has a premium value tag due to it having been designed by a luxury watchmaker by the name of Audemars Piguet. The watchmaker prepared a custom-designed piece specifically for Arnold using valuable pieces.
Despite the whole situation, Arnold is said to have kept his cool and not shown any form of resistance. The actor’s spokesman said the incident at the airport was, “a total comedy full of errors, but which would make a very funny police film.”
Arnold’s watch is of a variant that’s quite rare, with only twenty pieces in existence. It is expected starting bid price was 50,000 Euros.
