A prominent world authority on environmental sustainability was alleged to have been ‘seduced' and ‘cultivated' by controversial public relations outfit FBC Media to be the ‘ambassador' for Malaysian palm oil giant Sime Darby.

NONE This is according to the latest expose from the anti-Sarawak CM Taib Mahmud website, UK-based Sarawak Report , run by journalist-activist Clare Rewcastle-Brown ( left in photo ).

According to the article, Professor Jeffrey D Sachs of Columbia University's prestigious Earth Institute wrote a newspaper article and made television appearances praising the environmental conduct of Sime Darby and the Malaysian government which owns the conglomerate.

The professor reportedly authored an advertorial in the Herald Tribune , that gave the green thumbs-up to the Malaysian government and Sime Darby.

He has also appeared on programs such as FBC Media produced World Business Programme and BBC's Third Eye, which were pushed to the major networks by the broadcast production firm.

Sarawak Report claims that at that time, Sime Darby, the Sarawak state government and the Malaysian federal government were clients of FBC Media's public relations consultancy service.

The controversial PR firm was accused of contravening broadcasting ethics and journalistic guidelines when it pushed contents positive to its PR clients, to networks it was under contract to provide news and documentary content to.

Broadcasters like BBC and CNN have since suspended or terminated their contracts with FBC.

The Sarawak Report alleges that at near the same time that these positive public relations exposures for Sime Darby were being made, the Earth Institute received grants amounting to millions of ringgit from the palm oil giant.

Sachs and family were also allegedly transported via Sime Darby-owned private jet to holidays in India and Malaysia in 2008.

The anti-Taib website is claiming that it had seen documentary evidence to back its allegations.

Inquiries of these allegations have been sent to both Professor Sachs and Sime Darby for their comments. They have yet to reply.