by For two and a half hours on Wednesday, German border agents faced an unlikely enemy: the Terminator.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie star turned former governor of California, found himself on the wrong side of customs at Munich International Airport when a routine inspection uncovered a luxury watch that the action star had not declared.
Mr. Schwarzenegger was supposedly on the way to his native Austria from Los Angeles when customs agents in Munich discovered the watch, which the actor told customs officials was going to be sold for charity, according to local news reports and a spokesman for the customs division of the Munich airport.
TO dinner event and the auction for Mr. Schwarzenegger’s Climate Initiative charity was scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Austria.
Customs rules in Munich require travelers from outside the European Union to declare any goods from outside the EU valued at more than 430 euros (about $467). “Arnold did not do this,” said Thomas Meister, spokesman for the customs office at Munich airport.
A person close to Schwarzenegger, who was familiar with what happened, said he had agreed to pay any potential taxes on the watch in advance. The luxury device, from his personal collection, is still expected to be auctioned Thursday night, at which time the Climate Initiative would report the proceeds to authorities, as required, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. .
The European Union and the United Kingdom have an exception for imported products intended for charitable purposes. Items still need to be declared upon arrival, according to EU policyBut if travelers can prove that the items are used for charitable purposes, they can avoid paying the associated fees.
Still, Schwarzenegger’s star power wasn’t enough to save him from customs bureaucracies. He will face formal criminal tax charges, Meister said, but any potential penalties will be decided during the process.
Juan Yoon contributed with reports.
