diff --git a/addressbook/templates/default/index.xet b/addressbook/templates/default/index.xet
index e927665cf0..5abe754f7c 100644
--- a/addressbook/templates/default/index.xet
+++ b/addressbook/templates/default/index.xet
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@
 					<customfields-list id="$row" class="customfields"/>
 					<textbox multiline="true" id="${row}[note]" no_lang="1" readonly="true"/>
 					<description id="${row}[distrib_lists]"/>
-					<select id="${row}[owner]" readonly="true"/>
+					<select-account id="${row}[owner]" readonly="true"/>
 					<description id="${row}[id]" class="contactid"/>
 					<vbox>
 						<link id="${row}[last_link]"/>
diff --git a/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.js b/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.js
index e50fe03d39..8558bb9e12 100644
--- a/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.js
+++ b/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.js
@@ -661,8 +661,8 @@ var et2_selectAccount_ro = /** @class */ (function (_super) {
         if (typeof _value == 'string' && _value.indexOf(',') > 0) {
             _value = _value.split(',');
         }
-        // Don't bother to lookup if it's not an array, or a number
-        if (typeof _value == 'object' || !isNaN(_value) && _value != "") {
+        // pass objects to link widget right away, as following code can't deal with objects
+        if (typeof _value == 'object') {
             _super.prototype.set_value.call(this, _value);
             // Don't make it look like a link though
             jQuery('li', this.list).removeClass("et2_link et2_link_string")
@@ -674,10 +674,12 @@ var et2_selectAccount_ro = /** @class */ (function (_super) {
         jQuery('li', this.list).removeClass("et2_link et2_link_string")
             // No clicks either
             .off();
+        var found = false;
         if (this.options.select_options && !jQuery.isEmptyObject(this.options.select_options) || this.options.empty_label) {
             if (!_value) {
                 // Empty label from selectbox
                 this.list.append("<li>" + this.options.empty_label + "</li>");
+                found = true;
             }
             else if (typeof _value == 'object') {
                 // An array with 0 / empty in it?
@@ -688,6 +690,7 @@ var et2_selectAccount_ro = /** @class */ (function (_super) {
                     }
                     else if (this.options.select_options[_value]) {
                         this.list.append("<li>" + this.options.select_options[_value] + "</li>");
+                        found = true;
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -698,19 +701,28 @@ var et2_selectAccount_ro = /** @class */ (function (_super) {
                     search = [_value];
                 }
                 for (var j = 0; j < search.length; j++) {
-                    var found = false;
                     // Not having a value to look up causes an infinite loop
                     if (!search[j])
                         continue;
                     for (var i in this.options.select_options) {
                         if (this.options.select_options[i].value == search[j]) {
                             this.list.append("<li>" + this.options.select_options[i].label + "</li>");
+                            found = true;
                             break;
                         }
                     }
                 }
             }
         }
+        // if nothing found in select-options let link widget try
+        if (!found && !isNaN(_value)) {
+            _super.prototype.set_value.call(this, _value);
+            // Don't make it look like a link though
+            jQuery('li', this.list).removeClass("et2_link et2_link_string")
+                // No clicks either
+                .off();
+            return;
+        }
     };
     et2_selectAccount_ro._attributes = {
         "empty_label": {
diff --git a/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.ts b/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.ts
index e3ac4937a3..ed1d46d0ea 100644
--- a/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.ts
+++ b/api/js/etemplate/et2_widget_selectAccount.ts
@@ -826,8 +826,8 @@ export class et2_selectAccount_ro extends et2_link_string
 			_value = _value.split(',');
 		}
 
-		// Don't bother to lookup if it's not an array, or a number
-		if(typeof _value == 'object' || !isNaN(_value) && _value != "")
+		// pass objects to link widget right away, as following code can't deal with objects
+		if (typeof _value == 'object')
 		{
 			super.set_value(_value);
 			// Don't make it look like a link though
@@ -842,12 +842,14 @@ export class et2_selectAccount_ro extends et2_link_string
 			// No clicks either
 			.off();
 
+		let found = false;
 		if(this.options.select_options && !jQuery.isEmptyObject(this.options.select_options) || this.options.empty_label)
 		{
 			if(!_value)
 			{
 				// Empty label from selectbox
 				this.list.append("<li>"+this.options.empty_label+"</li>");
+				found = true;
 			}
 			else if (typeof _value == 'object')
 			{
@@ -862,6 +864,7 @@ export class et2_selectAccount_ro extends et2_link_string
 					else if (this.options.select_options[_value])
 					{
 						this.list.append("<li>"+this.options.select_options[_value]+"</li>");
+						found = true;
 					}
 				}
 			}
@@ -875,8 +878,6 @@ export class et2_selectAccount_ro extends et2_link_string
 				}
 				for(let j = 0; j < search.length; j++)
 				{
-					var found = false;
-
 					// Not having a value to look up causes an infinite loop
 					if(!search[j]) continue;
 
@@ -885,6 +886,7 @@ export class et2_selectAccount_ro extends et2_link_string
 						if(this.options.select_options[i].value == search[j])
 						{
 							this.list.append("<li>"+this.options.select_options[i].label+"</li>");
+							found = true;
 							break;
 						}
 					}
@@ -892,6 +894,16 @@ export class et2_selectAccount_ro extends et2_link_string
 				}
 			}
 		}
+		// if nothing found in select-options let link widget try
+		if(!found && !isNaN(_value))
+		{
+			super.set_value(_value);
+			// Don't make it look like a link though
+			jQuery('li',this.list).removeClass("et2_link et2_link_string")
+				// No clicks either
+				.off();
+			return;
+		}
 	}
 }
 et2_register_widget(et2_selectAccount_ro, ["select-account_ro"]);