The Irish police have arrested one of their colleagues over the leaking of confidential information to a Dublin newspaper, which led to the resignation of Green Party MP Trevor Sargent, a Minister of State.

The female officer was arrested and taken to Lucan police station in North Dublin and questioned about leaking information to the Evening Herald newspaper.

Sargent had written to the police on behalf of a constituent and asked the police to drop a public disorder charge against him.

The police woman is in her 30s and has since been suspended from the force and faces a $80,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison if prosecuted.

Sargents resignation came one week after the Fianna Fail Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea resigned from office for claiming a Sinn Fein councillor in Limerick owned a prosperous brothel.

The Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has claimed that the Fianna Fail party had no hand in forcing the ministers resignation.

It is suspected that members of the Irish police union may be behind the leaking of information and was a knee jerk reaction to police pay cuts.