FILE PHOTO: Peter Bellew, former Chief Operating Officer of Ryanair, leaves the Four Courts in Dublin after the opening day of Ryanair's High Court Action to prevent him from joining its competitor Easyjet as COO in January, Dublin, Ireland December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Lorraine O'Sullivan/File Photo

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The Irish High Court will rule on Monday Dec. 23 on whether Ryanair RYA.I can prevent its operations chief Peter Bellew from joining arch-rival easyJet EZJ.L until 2021, a court official said on Friday.

Ryanair has argued that Bellew possesses information of competitive value and that he is bound by a non-compete clause.

Former Malaysia Airlines boss Bellew denies he is subject to the clause and plans to start working with the British airline at the start of 2020 after completing a six-month notice period.

The verdict had been due on Friday, but was delayed, the official said.