diff --git a/pkg/compiler/codegen.go b/pkg/compiler/codegen.go
index 793181b94..cdb7a0ab5 100644
--- a/pkg/compiler/codegen.go
+++ b/pkg/compiler/codegen.go
@@ -432,8 +432,7 @@ func (c *codegen) Visit(node ast.Node) ast.Visitor {
 				if !isAssignOp {
 					ast.Walk(c, n.Rhs[i])
 				}
-				name := t.X.(*ast.Ident).Name
-				c.emitLoadVar(name)
+				ast.Walk(c, t.X)
 				ast.Walk(c, t.Index)
 				emit.Opcode(c.prog.BinWriter, opcode.ROT)
 				emit.Opcode(c.prog.BinWriter, opcode.SETITEM)
diff --git a/pkg/compiler/slice_test.go b/pkg/compiler/slice_test.go
index af7d07f80..326fe0e72 100644
--- a/pkg/compiler/slice_test.go
+++ b/pkg/compiler/slice_test.go
@@ -212,6 +212,16 @@ var sliceTestCases = []testCase{
 		}`,
 		[]byte{1, 2},
 	},
+	{
+		"nested slice assignment",
+		`package foo
+		func Main() int {
+			a := [][]int{[]int{1, 2}, []int{3, 4}}
+			a[1][0] = 42
+			return a[1][0]
+		}`,
+		big.NewInt(42),
+	},
 }
 
 func TestSliceOperations(t *testing.T) {