BERLIN, January 17. /TASS/. Movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was detained at Munich airport for failing to declare a high-end watch to customs, has been released, but the actor has to pay a fine of €35,000, the Bild newspaper reported.

According to Bild, Schwarzenegger spent several hours at the airport. During this time, he was interrogated by customs officers and was able to call his lawyer, the newspaper notes. Schwarzenegger tried to explain that the watch was going to be auctioned off for charity. However, the actor was ordered to pay a fine of €35,000. Right after being released, Schwarzenegger smoked a cigar.

"We have initiated criminal proceedings under tax law. The watch should have been registered because it is an import," said Thomas Meister, a spokesman for Munich's main customs office.

According to Bild, the watch was valued at €26,000. The actor will also have to pay a tax of €4,000 and a fine of €5,000. Schwarzenegger wanted to pay the amount by credit card, but he was not allowed to do so, as 50% of customs duties must be paid in cash, so a law enforcement representative accompanied the actor to a bank so that he could get the money.

Earlier, Schwarzenegger was detained at the Munich airport. He had an Audemars Pigeut luxury Swiss watch on him as he was heading to the World Climate Summit conference in Kitzbuhel. It was custom-made exclusively for the actor, who intended to sell it at auction for about €20,000.