NullPointerException thrown when retrieving bounds for the type parameter

Processing the following source:

-----
package tmp;

import java.util.*;

public class S_GETBOUNDS<TP1 extends ArrayList & Set> {
}
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  and retrieving the bounds for TP1 in the following way:


----
        // inside the "process" method of the processor

        elements = processingEnv.getElementUtils();
        TypeElement element = elements.getTypeElement("tmp.S_GETBOUNDS");
        List<TypeParameterElement> ltpe = (List<TypeParameterElement>)element.getTypeParameters();
        TypeParameterElement tpe = ltpe.get(0);
        List<TypeMirror> bounds = (List<TypeMirror>)tpe.getBounds(); // (1)
----


  the NullPointerException is thrown at (.) 1:


-----
java.lang.NullPointerException
        at com.sun.tools.javac.code.Symbol$TypeSymbol.getBounds(Symbol.java:550)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.code.Symbol$TypeSymbol.getBounds(Symbol.java:467)
        at javasoft.sqe.tests.api.javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement.GETBOUNDS.test(GETBOUNDS.java:38)
        at javasoft.sqe.jck.lib.javax.annotation.processing.ProcessorTest.process(ProcessorTest.java:50)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.processing.JavacProcessingEnvironment.callProcessor(JavacProcessingEnvironment.java:628)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.processing.JavacProcessingEnvironment.discovery(JavacProcessingEnvironment.java:559)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.processing.JavacProcessingEnvironment.doProcessing(JavacProcessingEnvironment.java:698)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.main.JavaCompiler.processAnnotations(JavaCompiler.java:866)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.main.JavaCompiler.compile(JavaCompiler.java:636)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.main.Main.compile(Main.java:332)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.main.Main.compile(Main.java:255)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.main.Main.compile(Main.java:246)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.Main.compile(Main.java:70)
        at com.sun.tools.javac.Main.main(Main.java:55)
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  If the "& Set" part is removed from source - things go the expected way.