diff --git a/src/controller/CHIPDeviceController.cpp b/src/controller/CHIPDeviceController.cpp
index b1ce32d14d9db5..418cf48f6e6555 100644
--- a/src/controller/CHIPDeviceController.cpp
+++ b/src/controller/CHIPDeviceController.cpp
@@ -1553,12 +1553,6 @@ void DeviceCommissioner::OnDeviceConnectionFailureFn(void * context, PeerId peer
         ChipLogError(Controller, "Device connection failed without a valid error code. Making one up.");
         error = CHIP_ERROR_INTERNAL;
     }
-    // TODO: Determine if we really want the PASE session removed here. See #16089.
-    CommissioneeDeviceProxy * commissionee = commissioner->FindCommissioneeDevice(peerId.GetNodeId());
-    if (commissionee != nullptr)
-    {
-        commissioner->ReleaseCommissioneeDevice(commissionee);
-    }
 
     commissioner->mSystemState->CASESessionMgr()->ReleaseSession(peerId);
     if (commissioner->mCommissioningStage == CommissioningStage::kFindOperational &&
@@ -1570,6 +1564,13 @@ void DeviceCommissioner::OnDeviceConnectionFailureFn(void * context, PeerId peer
     {
         commissioner->mPairingDelegate->OnPairingComplete(error);
     }
+
+    CommissioneeDeviceProxy * commissionee = commissioner->FindCommissioneeDevice(peerId.GetNodeId());
+    // TODO: Determine if we really want the PASE session removed here. See #16089.
+    if (commissionee != nullptr)
+    {
+        commissioner->ReleaseCommissioneeDevice(commissionee);
+    }
 }
 
 // ClusterStateCache::Callback impl