Purchase of Own Securities

British Empire Sec & Gen Tst PLC
17 May 2002


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

Share Buy Back

17 May 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 £1.9762p per share. 6,575,000 ordinary shares have been purchased

under the current authority and the issued share capital after the

cancellation of the shares repurchased will be 168,505,089 ordinary shares.

Since 10 December 1998 when the Company first obtained powers to purchase its

own shares, a total of 20,850,000 ordinary shares have been repurchased.



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