Former prime minister Brian Mulroney has responded to reports suggesting there is no evidence he did any work for a German arms manufacturer in exchange for cash payments from Karlheinz Schreiber.

The CBC and Globe and Mail reported Monday that a joint investigation failed to find any evidence Mulroney did international consulting work for Thyssen.

"While true, it is a puzzling new line of attack as no one, including Mr. Mulroney, has ever claimed that he worked for Thyssen AG," said a statement on the former prime minister's media relations website.

Mulroney told the House of Commons ethics committee last year he accepted three cash payments totalling $225,000 for international consulting work he did on behalf of German-Canadian businessman Schreiber, who worked for Thyssen.

The statement, posted Monday, said Mulroney "was retained as a consultant by Thyssen Bear Head industries, (later known as Thyssen Canada) by its then Chairman Karl-Heinz Schreiber, a contract that Mr. Schreiber has described and attested to under oath."

The statement quotes transcripts from his December 2007 ethics committee appearance, including a response to a question from NDP MP Joe Comartin.

Comartin: You didn’t see yourself as an employee of Thyssen.

Mulroney: No, I was an international consultant.

Mulroney told the committee he travelled to Russia, China and France on behalf of Thyssen to promote the company's armoured vehicles for national needs and for use in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The CBC and Globe contacted officials familiar with military sales in Russia, China, France and Canada, as well as the company itself, in attempts to verify the former prime minister's claims, the CBC's Harvey Cashore said.

"While there's no evidence to disprove what Mr. Mulroney is saying, we couldn't find any evidence so far to corroborate it," Cashore said Monday.

Mulroney said he lobbied Chinese officials during a 1993 visit to Beijing, but Canada's ambassador to China at the time said the former prime minister didn't mention his lobbying once during the trip.

"As far as we at the embassy were aware, we were not aware of anything of the sort, and we would have been, normally," Fred Bild said. "I just find it very strange."

Mulroney also told the committee he lobbied former Russian president Boris Yeltsin in 1994. However, military defence expert Christopher Foss said Russia wasn't buying equipment during that time.

Foss also rejected the suggestion France was in the market for German equipment, saying it was a leading exporter of armoured vehicles. Mulroney said he made two trips to France to lobby.

Mulroney will have the chance to give more details himself soon. He's expected to testify again in front of the committee before the end of the month.