diff --git a/libctf/ChangeLog b/libctf/ChangeLog
index b7f12d8e09..982c335569 100644
--- a/libctf/ChangeLog
+++ b/libctf/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2019-09-23  Nick Alcock  <nick.alcock@oracle.com>
+
+	* ctf-open.c (ctf_import): Do not leak a ctf_file_t ref on every
+	ctf_import after the first for a given file.
+
 2019-09-23  Nick Alcock  <nick.alcock@oracle.com>
 
 	* ctf-impl.h (ctf_str_append_noerr): Declare.
diff --git a/libctf/ctf-open.c b/libctf/ctf-open.c
index 4a95b7f38a..aedf39086a 100644
--- a/libctf/ctf-open.c
+++ b/libctf/ctf-open.c
@@ -1778,6 +1778,7 @@ ctf_import (ctf_file_t *fp, ctf_file_t *pfp)
 
   if (fp->ctf_parent != NULL)
     {
+      fp->ctf_parent->ctf_refcnt--;
       ctf_file_close (fp->ctf_parent);
       fp->ctf_parent = NULL;
     }
@@ -1793,6 +1794,7 @@ ctf_import (ctf_file_t *fp, ctf_file_t *pfp)
       fp->ctf_flags |= LCTF_CHILD;
       pfp->ctf_refcnt++;
     }
+
   fp->ctf_parent = pfp;
   return 0;
 }