Premier Ewart Brown was accused in court yesterday of political interference by a government employee who claims she was sacked after blowing the whistle on alleged fraudulent activity by a US contractor.

LeYoni Junos believes she was fired from her $89,000-a-year post as the administrator of the publicly funded African Diaspora Heritage Trail (ADHT) Foundation because she flagged up concerns about Maryland-based event planners Henderson Associates Inc.

The 47-year-old told Supreme Court that Auditor General Larry Dennis was now planning an audit of the foundation due to "certain improprieties that were taking place".

Ms Junos, who is trying to get her job back by way of a judicial review, told Puisne Judge Ian Kawaley that Tourism Minister Dr. Brown asked the foundation's board "out of the blue" to pass a resolution — which was rejected — for her to be dismissed on April 4 last year.

She said he later "interrogated" her in front of her Department of Tourism bosses and on April 10 she received a letter terminating her temporary contract with a week's notice and no reason given.

Ms Junos, who is representing herself in court, claimed she was got rid of quickly and without recourse to Public Service Commission Regulations "under ministerial pressure".

Earlier in the hearing, Mr. Justice Kawaley summed up Ms Junos' position thus: "I'm being terminated because I've seen fit to complain about something that the Government finds unpalatable and they think that I'm a whistle-blower or something like that."

Details of the alleged improprieties and the contractor involved were not given at yesterday's civil hearing.

But Ms Junos, of Warwick, told The Royal Gazette she raised concerns about Henderson Associates Inc. — an African American travel firm run by brother and sister Jake Henderson and Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey — soliciting donations for ADHT through a US organisation called FACTS Institute Inc.

Ms Junos alleged that no one at the Department of Tourism knew anything about FACTS Institute and the ADHT board, which the Premier chairs, had not approved its involvement.

She told this newspaper her questioning of the situation angered Dr. Brown, who grilled her during a telephone conversation, ordered her to his office and asked her to leave the ADHT board meeting on April 4 before proposing that she be dismissed.

Ms Junos had worked as the administrator of the ADHT Foundation since August 2007 on a rolling three-month contract and had expected to be employed there for at least 18 months, until the foundation became independent from Government.

Her case, according to documents she filed with the court, is that her contract was unlawfully terminated in the first instance on April 10, 2008, and then terminated a second time after she appealed to the head of the civil service and he "refused to investigate [her] evidence of political interference."

She states in the documents that her termination was "dishonest and malicious" and "covert disciplinary action designed to punish her for alleged misconduct".

Crown counsel Gregory Howard argued in court on behalf of Government that there was a "mutual loss of trust and confidence" between employer and employee and that the nature of Ms Junos' contract provided a mechanism for her to be given one week's notice.

Mr. Justice Kawaley said: "What happened was that Ms Junos expressed concerns about the propriety of the conduct of somebody, an outside contractor.

"She did that with support and advice from an independent lawyer in private practice that was then acting for the foundation.

"She was seeking to have that matter dealt with. It seems that rather than it was a mutual breakdown in the relationship, it was not felt that she dealt with it in an appropriate way. She was quite happy to stay on but was terminated."

The ADHT is an initiative started on the Island by the late Tourism Minister David Allen aimed at conserving the cultural achievements of the people of the African Diaspora, with conferences held here and around the world.

Ms Junos, now working as a self-employed historical researcher, told the court that the foundation was classified under the Audit Act as a government-controlled entity and was subject to being audited by the Auditor General.

"Because of certain improprieties that were taking place I can tell the court that the Auditor General will be auditing the foundation for the last three years," she said.

Dr. Brown's spokesman said last night that the Ministry of Tourism would not comment while the court case was ongoing. The case continues today.