Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi 'put on sale' on eBay after claiming he would sell himself to help economy

'If it were possible for me to be sold, I would sell myself,'' he said in a speech on Wednesday

The listing was taken down before the President was officially 'sold' (PA)

The President of Egypt has been put “on sale” on eBay after vowing that he would sell himself to help the country’s economy.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former army head who ousted his predecessor Mohammed Morsi, was widely mocked for his pledge as he laid out development plans on Wednesday.

“If it were possible for me to be sold, I would sell myself,'' he said in a speech on state television, where he also reportedly asked Egyptians to donate to public funds by text.

Bids reached more than $100,000 before the page was taken down

An eBay user quickly held the President to his word by putting him up for sale on a joke page.

Bids from more than 100 users quickly rocketed to $100,300 (£72,000) but the page was taken down later on Wednesday.

Next to a photo of a laughing President Sisi, he was listed as a “slightly used” field marshal and doctor of philosophers with a military background, according to a translation by Foreign Policy.

The seller, “dr_motown”, told a potential buyer asking for more information the head of state had been used by “his previous owners (Gulf royals)”.

"Hey world, we decided to sell the infamous Egyptian Field Marshal and military coup leader Mr Abdel Fatah el-Sisi on eBay to bail out the Egyptian economy so you don't have to," the description read.

"The field marshal himself stated that if selling himself will help, he will not hesitate to do it. So, we are doing it for him, for us and for the humanity.

"Please, bid now to help Egypt gain its political and economic independence...you will not regret it!" Returns were not

Sisi was formerly Egypt’s official military attaché in Saudi Arabia and described himself as a doctor sent by God to inform world leaders, intelligence experts, politicians and the “greatest philosophers” in a speech last year.

Egypt is suffering from a sharp decline in tourism revenue following flight bans to Sharm el-Sheikh sparked by the downing of a Russian passenger jet.

Visitors have also been deterred by social unrest and terrorist attacks across the country, which have largely been claimed by the local Isis affiliate.