ANNOUNCEMENT

SHAREHOLDER CAPITAL RETURN - ORDINARY DIVIDEND PAYMENT

16 May 2005 - The Ordinary Shareholders' General Meeting of the company, which convened on April 25, 2005 decided, inter alia, the share capital decrease of the company by €145,730,754.65, in order to pay a return capital to shareholders-in cash- amounting €2.05 per share as well as the distribution of a dividend equal to €0.2 per share. In total, HELEX will pay to shareholders the amount of €2.25 per share.

The aforesaid share capital decrease will be carried out through a respective decrease of the par value of the company's share, viz. from €5.05 to €3.00.

Following the relevant decision of the Hellenic Ministry of Development on 09.05.2005, which approved the share capital decrease in question as well as the notification to the Hellenic Capital Market Commission Board of Directors on 13.05.2005, the payment of the return capital and the dividend will begin on Tuesday, May 24, 2005.

The Central Securities Depository (CSD) in Athens will credit the authorized users' accounts, which in turn, will pay the relevant amounts to beneficiaries. Beneficiaries will be shareholders, who will have been registered in the Shareholders' Register of the company at the close of the ATHEX trading session on Tuesday, May 17, 2005.