In a bizarre and surprising turn of events, a trade license has been issued in the name of former US President Donald Trump by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
The license allows him to operate a business named "Trump Association" in Aftabnagar, Dhaka, specializing in the sale of crabs. Although the personal details of the license list New York, USA, as Trump`s address, the business is registered to an address in Aftabnagar.
Issued on March 11th, as confirmed by a report from Prothom Alo, the trade license carries Trump’s full name, his parents’ names—Fred Trump and Mary Anne MacLeod Trump—and even includes a smiling photo of the former US President.
This highly unusual license is valid until June 30, 2025, after a payment of 2,265 BDT in fees was made.
However, DNCC’s revenue officials have acknowledged that the license is not authentic.
According to them, the license was generated through an automated system that bypassed traditional verification processes, allowing fake applications to be submitted and approved without proper scrutiny.
This new automated system is reportedly responsible for allowing such irregular licenses, including the one in Donald Trump`s name, to be issued.
The DNCC`s Chief Revenue Officer, Md. Moniruzzaman, explained that the system was still in the trial phase and revealed how it could be misused to generate trade licenses under fake identities.
He confirmed that the system`s vulnerability allowed for a trial license to be issued in Trump’s name.
Adding to the confusion, Prothom Alo reported that they had visited the address listed on the license, located at the end of Road 4 in Block F of Aftabnagar.
The building, numbered 40/42, is a new 10-story residential complex. The caretaker of the building, Mohammad Nahid, humorously dismissed the legitimacy of the trade license when shown a copy of the document, calling it fake.
The business address listed in New York on the license—55 West 125th Street—also matches Trump’s real address.
Additionally, a lease agreement for an office in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area, with a monthly rent of 8,000 BDT, was included in the application.
Interestingly, DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz took to Facebook to deny the issuance of any license in Donald Trump`s name, claiming it was only a draft copy and not recorded in the official online database.
Nevertheless, DNCC officials confirmed that the fake license had indeed been generated and could be used within its validity period.
The incident has raised questions about the reliability of DNCC’s automated trade license system, which is supposed to simplify the licensing process but, as this case demonstrates, can be prone to misuse.
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