STOCKHOLM, Sweden, April 7, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sampo plc's Annual General Meeting today decided, in accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors, to pay a dividend of EUR 1.50 per share for 2003. The record date for dividend payment is 14 April 2004 and the dividend will be paid out on 21 April 2004. The Annual General Meeting approved the financial accounts and discharged the accountable parties from liability.
The Annual General Meeting elected Matti Vuoria, Executive Vice- President of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company, as a new member of the Board. Tom Berglund, Anne Brunila, Georg Ehrnrooth, Jyrki Juusela, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Christoffer Taxell and Bjorn Wahlroos, CEO, were re-elected as Board members. At their organisational meeting, the Board of Directors re-elected Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo as Chairman and Jyrki Juusela as Vice Chairman.
Ernst & Young Oy were elected as the company's Auditor.
The Annual General Meeting granted the Board authorisation to buy back and convey Sampo's own shares. The authorisation is valid until 7 April 2005. The maximum amount of A shares that can be bought back is 5 per cent of the company's share capital or of the number of votes attached to all shares. Shares can be bought back either by an offer made to all holders of A shares in proportion to the holdings of the shareholders and on equal terms determined by the Board or through public trading in the Helsinki Exchanges, in which case the shares will not be bought in proportion to the holdings of the shareholders.
Shares can be bought back to develop the company's capital structure, to finance corporate acquisitions or other reorganisations, or to be otherwise further conveyed or cancelled.
The above proposals by the Board of Directors were published in their entirety in the stock exchange release of 24 February 2004 and were approved in their original form.
SAMPO PLC
Hannu Vuola
Head of Group Communications Tel. +358 10 516 0040
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Jarmo Salonen, Head of Investor Relations, Tel. +358 10 516 0030 Hannu Vuola, Head of Group Communications, Tel. +358 10 516 0040
DISTRIBUTION: Helsinki Exchanges Main news media www.sampo.com
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http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/04/07/20040407BIT00450/wkr0002.pdf