VANCOUVER - In response to yesterday's decision by the Political Administrative Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Court, Crystallex International Corporation (Amex: KRY) (Toronto: KRY.) issued the following statement:

"The Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Crystallex's Venezuelan unit Inversora Mael, C.A. does not have status to assert ownership rights over the Cristinas 4 and 6 concessions and refused to proceed with a law suit commenced by Mael to enforce those rights. Crystallex is carefully reviewing the implications of the Court's ruling and will assess all available options.

"Mael's decision to launch its law suit was based upon prior Venezuelan Supreme Court decisions in 1991 and 1996 -- decisions of the same court that granted yesterday's ruling. These earlier decisions led to an order by the Venezuelan Supreme Court in 1997 that notice of Mael's ownership rights be published in the Venezuelan Official Gazette. A dissenting judgment of one of the Supreme Court justices expressly acknowledged that yesterday's ruling contradicts those earlier decisions."

"We are obviously disappointed that the dissenting judge's view did not prevail," said Marc Oppenheimer, Crystallex's CEO. "However, Crystallex remains committed to Venezuela and will continue to participate in the development of its mining sector. Our Albino mine -- the only operating gold property owned by a non-Venezuelan company at Kilometre 88 -- is currently producing gold at an annual rate of 15,000 ounces, a figure that would triple with approval of our pending application for deep rock rights.

"Albino alone will place Crystallex well on its way to achieving the strategic objective of producing 150,000 ounces of gold each year. Crystallex's strong balance sheet and approved financing arrangements will facilitate further acquisitions and development," added Mr. Oppenheimer.

Crystallex International Corporation is a gold mining and exploration company. The Company's strategy for growth is to develop its portfolio of properties in South America as well as to diversify geographically by investing in producing or near-production projects and by exploring properties of merit in other areas of the world.

Note:

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and reserves, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Crystallex, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed from time to time with The Toronto Stock Exchange, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.