Getting additional properties from a richfaces suggestionBox does not seem to work inside a modalPanal

This works as expected

<div id="addConditionsPanelDiv_2">
 <h:panelGrid columns="2" width="250">
 <h:panelGroup style="width: 75px;" styleClass="rightAligned">
 <h:outputLabel for="newConditionSelectionInput_2" value="Conditions:" />
 </h:panelGroup>
 <h:panelGroup>
 <h:inputText style="width: 150px;" value="#{permitConditionAction.shortDescription}"
 id="newConditionSelectionInput_2">
 </h:inputText>
 <rich:suggestionbox id="suggestionbox_2" zindex="3000"
 for="newConditionSelectionInput_2" width="150" suggestionAction="#{permitConditionAction.autocomplete}"
 nothingLabel="No values found"
 var="var">
 <h:column>
 <h:outputText value="#{var.shortDescription}" />
 </h:column>
 <a4j:support event="onselect" action="#{permitConditionAction.setDescription(var.description)}" />
 </rich:suggestionbox>
 </h:panelGroup>
 </h:panelGrid>
</div>

But this does not

<rich:modalPanel id="addConditionsPanelID" zindex="2000" resizeable="true" width="600">
 <f:facet name="header">
 <h:panelGroup>
 <h:outputText value="#{msgs['permit.condition.modalName']}" />
 </h:panelGroup>
 </f:facet>
 <div id="addConditionsPanelDiv">
 <h:panelGrid columns="2" width="250">
 <h:panelGroup style="width: 75px;" styleClass="rightAligned">
 <h:outputLabel for="newConditionSelectionInput" value="Conditions:" />
 </h:panelGroup>
 <h:panelGroup>
 <h:inputText style="width: 150px;" value="#{permitConditionAction.shortDescription}"
 id="newConditionSelectionInput">
 </h:inputText>
 <rich:suggestionbox id="suggestionbox" zindex="3000" for="newConditionSelectionInput" width="150" suggestionAction="#{permitConditionAction.autocomplete}"
 nothingLabel="No values found" ajaxSingle="true" var="var">
 <h:column>
 <h:outputText value="#{var.shortDescription}" />
 </h:column>
 <a4j:support event="onselect" action="#{permitConditionAction.setCurrentCondition(var)}" />
 </rich:suggestionbox>
 </h:panelGroup>
 </h:panelGrid>
 </div>
</rich:modalPanel>

In the first case, the variable 'var' is populated as expected. In the second case the variable 'var' is null.

Is this a bug or am I doing something wrong?