The EU's outgoing justice commissioner, Didier Reynders, faced police questioning and a raid on his home Tuesday over suspicions of money laundering during a previous mandate as a Belgian government minister.

A source close to the inquiry confirmed to AFP, as first reported by Belgian media, that Reynders -- whose commission term ended at the weekend -- was being investigated for a suspected laundering scheme involving national lottery tickets.

The 66-year-old was heard by police though not taken into custody, and "several searches" were carried out at properties including his home in the Brussels district of Uccle, the source said.

According to Le Soir newspaper, police also searched his second home in the Belgian countryside.

Reynders served as the European Union's justice chief from 2019 to 2024 under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, whose second commission team took office on Sunday.

His role involved responsibility for enforcing the rule of law within the 27-nation bloc -- and also granted him immunity from prosecution.

The investigation was opened last year under the authority of the Brussels state prosecutor, acting upon information received from Belgium's national lottery and a financial investigation cell, the source said.

It was not known how much money was involved in the alleged laundering, believed to have taken place during Reynders' long tenure as a government minister.

Reynders served as finance minister from 1999 to 2011, and as foreign minister from 2011 to 2019.

He had been hoping to see his term as Belgium's EU commissioner renewed, but his MR liberal party chose instead to put forward the outgoing foreign minister Hadja Lahbib, named as commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management.