Updated 3.02pm: Political knives are being sharpened and the scalp of the Foreign Minister is their target over the Saudi sheep deal.

It comes as official papers show no evidence the Government received legal advice from its officials that it faced a $30 million dollar law suit over the cessation of live sheep exports to Saudi Arabia

Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said the information released in the past 24 hours makes a lie out of everything the Foreign Minister has said to Parliament and the media about the $11 million dollar deal.

He said the minister's position is completely untenable and he can't see how he can continue in his position.

"I think its completely untenable, I actually have no idea how he can continue in his position as foreign minister.. it's extraordinary that he's even still in his job."

MORE: Govt. dumps Saudi sheep documents

It would seem the $30 million was mentioned just once in papers from Murray McCully's office, long after Labour was voted out and bearing no relation to a threat of that time.

The farm deal was questioned by the Auditor-General saying it raised more questions than answers and the $4 million payment to the Saudi farm owner was, according to a Cabinet decision, made to settle a long running dispute, a reason the Government's refused to acknowledge.

John Key said those issues were worked through.

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"Yeah I think there was a lot of back and forth between the Auditor General, but in the end officials advised Cabinet that the deal was lawful and able to proceed."

He's seen the full documents, but he can't control what's publicly released.

"It's not for us to do that. We don't make the call on what is released and what is not - that's the responsibility of the departments."

The dump of the documents came just after John Key talked to reporters in Rarotonga and as Foreign Minister Murray McCully was flying off to Asia. Therefore answers from the Government weren't initially forthcoming.

There are quite a few questions like what did Mr McCully tell the Saudis in Riyadh about the resumption live sheep shipments that led them to describe it as a new chapter in the relationship.

Futhermore, questions are being asked as to what the Cabinet paper meant about four million dollar payment to rich businessman Hamood Al-ali Al Khalaf being the settlement of a long running dispute, when the Government has denied it.