Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, has been on the CIA payroll for the past eight years, according to the New York Times. (Allauddin Khan/Associated Press)

The brother of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday denied a report that he received regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Ahmed Wali Karzai was on the CIA payroll for much of the past eight years. The report said that he was paid for a variety of services, including recruiting for an Afghan paramilitary force that functions at the direction of the CIA around Kandahar.

Karzai called the report "ridiculous."

"I work with the Americans, the Canadians, the British, anyone who asks for my help. They (CIA) do their own recruitment. I have no idea where they get their recruits. It's absolutely ridiculous," Karzai said.

The CIA ties to Karzai — who for months has been suspected of being part of Afghanistan's illegal opium trade — are reported to have created divisions in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, the Times reported.

Karzai has denied claims that he is involved in the Afghan drug trade, which is a chief source of money for the Taliban.

The Associated Press said a U.S. congressional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the accuracy of the details in the Times story, saying that some members of Congress have known about the link between Karzai and the CIA "for some time."

The CIA has declined to comment on the Times report.

With files from The Associated Press