diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/user/AccountManagerImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/user/AccountManagerImpl.java
index f0d129a3cee..2070ee6b4de 100755
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/user/AccountManagerImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/user/AccountManagerImpl.java
@@ -660,8 +660,10 @@ public class AccountManagerImpl extends ManagerBase implements AccountManager, M
             // delete the account from project accounts
             _projectAccountDao.removeAccountFromProjects(accountId);
 
-            //delete the account from group
-            _messageBus.publish(_name, MESSAGE_REMOVE_ACCOUNT_EVENT, PublishScope.LOCAL, accountId);
+            if (account.getType() != Account.ACCOUNT_TYPE_PROJECT) {
+                // delete the account from group
+                _messageBus.publish(_name, MESSAGE_REMOVE_ACCOUNT_EVENT, PublishScope.LOCAL, accountId);
+            }
 
             // delete all vm groups belonging to accont
             List<InstanceGroupVO> groups = _vmGroupDao.listByAccountId(accountId);
diff --git a/services/iam/server/src/org/apache/cloudstack/iam/server/IAMServiceImpl.java b/services/iam/server/src/org/apache/cloudstack/iam/server/IAMServiceImpl.java
index 097d84f958c..56c931a9d10 100644
--- a/services/iam/server/src/org/apache/cloudstack/iam/server/IAMServiceImpl.java
+++ b/services/iam/server/src/org/apache/cloudstack/iam/server/IAMServiceImpl.java
@@ -147,6 +147,9 @@ public class IAMServiceImpl extends ManagerBase implements IAMService, Manager {
 
         List<Long> groupIds = _aclGroupAccountMapDao.customSearch(groupSc, null);
 
+        if (groupIds == null || groupIds.isEmpty()) {
+            return new ArrayList<IAMGroup>();
+        }
         SearchBuilder<IAMGroupVO> sb = _aclGroupDao.createSearchBuilder();
         sb.and("ids", sb.entity().getId(), Op.IN);
         SearchCriteria<IAMGroupVO> sc = sb.create();