Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger found his travel plans temporarily terminated when he was detained at Munich Airport for allegedly avoiding tax payable on a luxury watch. He was on his way to Austria to auction the custom-made Audemars Piguet watch for charity.
Mr Schwarzenegger was detained for three hours while German customs officials investigated allegations of tax evasion since the watch was intended to be sold within the European Union (EU). Under EU rules, anyone entering the bloc with 'cash or certain valuable items' worth over €10,000 must declare it.
What followed was described later by the actor's spokesman 'as a comedy of errors'. According to CBS, Mr Schwarzenegger had not been given a declaration form before the discovery of the watch by officials.
Asked to pay tax on the watch, a good-natured Mr Schwarzenegger found the first payment card machine did not work. The nearest bank was closed and he couldn't use an ATM since the withdrawal limits were too low.
He had to wait for customs officials to find a working card machine and for it to be brought to him.
The custom-made watch was auctioned at a fundraising dinner for The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative in Kitzbuhel, Austria. The starting price for bids on the watch was €50,000.
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