diff --git a/cmd/erasure-server-pool-migration-ilm_test.go b/cmd/erasure-server-pool-migration-ilm_test.go
index 8beb8503a..29791c994 100644
--- a/cmd/erasure-server-pool-migration-ilm_test.go
+++ b/cmd/erasure-server-pool-migration-ilm_test.go
@@ -238,16 +238,6 @@ func (m *migrationILM) catchUp() {
 	}
 }
 
-// latest returns the label of the version a read of object returns.
-func (m *migrationILM) latest(object string) string {
-	m.t.Helper()
-	oi, err := m.z.GetObjectInfo(m.t.Context(), m.bucket, object, ObjectOptions{})
-	if err != nil && (!oi.DeleteMarker || !isErrObjectNotFound(err) && !isErrMethodNotAllowed(err)) {
-		m.t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	return m.label(object, oi.VersionID, oi.DeleteMarker)
-}
-
 // view returns the versions of each object in a pool, newest first. Delete
 // markers and versions the test did not write are "DM" and "?".
 func (m *migrationILM) view(pool int) map[string][]string {
diff --git a/cmd/replication-ilm-delete_test.go b/cmd/replication-ilm-delete_test.go
index e98b9b8e9..3ac04a871 100644
--- a/cmd/replication-ilm-delete_test.go
+++ b/cmd/replication-ilm-delete_test.go
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ func testReplicateILMExpiryDeleteMarker(obj ObjectLayer, instanceType, bucket st
 	// composite ReplicationStatus field is unreliable on read-back for
 	// markers carrying a replication timestamp, so assert the raw state.
 	moi, merr = obj.GetObjectInfo(ctx, bucket, name, ObjectOptions{VersionID: markerVID})
-	if !isErrMethodNotAllowed(merr) || !strings.Contains(string(moi.ReplicationStatusInternal), "=COMPLETED;") {
+	if !isErrMethodNotAllowed(merr) || !strings.Contains(moi.ReplicationStatusInternal, "=COMPLETED;") {
 		t.Fatalf("%s: source marker state = %q (err %v), want COMPLETED", instanceType, moi.ReplicationStatusInternal, merr)
 	}
 }