}
        op->o_private = NULL;
 
-       if( postread_ctrl != NULL ) {
+       if( postread_ctrl != NULL && (*postread_ctrl) != NULL ) {
                slap_sl_free( (*postread_ctrl)->ldctl_value.bv_val, op->o_tmpmemctx );
                slap_sl_free( *postread_ctrl, op->o_tmpmemctx );
        }
 
        send_ldap_result( op, rs );
        slap_graduate_commit_csn( op );
 
-       if( preread_ctrl != NULL ) {
+       if( preread_ctrl != NULL && (*preread_ctrl) != NULL ) {
                slap_sl_free( (*preread_ctrl)->ldctl_value.bv_val, op->o_tmpmemctx );
                slap_sl_free( *preread_ctrl, op->o_tmpmemctx );
        }
 
                bdb_unlocked_cache_return_entry_w (&bdb->bi_cache, e);
        }
 
-       if( preread_ctrl != NULL ) {
+       if( preread_ctrl != NULL && (*preread_ctrl) != NULL ) {
                slap_sl_free( (*preread_ctrl)->ldctl_value.bv_val, op->o_tmpmemctx );
                slap_sl_free( *preread_ctrl, op->o_tmpmemctx );
        }
-       if( postread_ctrl != NULL ) {
+       if( postread_ctrl != NULL && (*postread_ctrl) != NULL ) {
                slap_sl_free( (*postread_ctrl)->ldctl_value.bv_val, op->o_tmpmemctx );
                slap_sl_free( *postread_ctrl, op->o_tmpmemctx );
        }
 
        }
        op->o_private = NULL;
 
-       if( preread_ctrl != NULL ) {
+       if( preread_ctrl != NULL && (*preread_ctrl) != NULL ) {
                slap_sl_free( (*preread_ctrl)->ldctl_value.bv_val, op->o_tmpmemctx );
                slap_sl_free( *preread_ctrl, op->o_tmpmemctx );
        }
-       if( postread_ctrl != NULL ) {
+       if( postread_ctrl != NULL && (*postread_ctrl) != NULL ) {
                slap_sl_free( (*postread_ctrl)->ldctl_value.bv_val, op->o_tmpmemctx );
                slap_sl_free( *postread_ctrl, op->o_tmpmemctx );
        }