Purchase of Own Securities

British Empire Sec & Gen Tst PLC
18 June 2002

British Empire Securities and General Trust p.l.c.

Share Buy Back

18 June 2002

At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 December 2001,
shareholders granted the Company authority to purchase up to 26,094,605 ordinary
shares.

The Company announces that it has today repurchased 500,000 ordinary shares at a
price of £1.959 per share. 8,025,000 ordinary shares have been purchased under
the current authority and the issued share capital after the cancellation of the
shares repurchased will be 167,055,089 ordinary shares.

Since 10 December 1998 when the Company first obtained powers to purchase its
own shares, a total of 22,300,000 ordinary shares have been repurchased.





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