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More than four years after the meltdown of Italy’s Parmalat SpA, the food company is set to begin presenting its case to a U.S. jury on Thursday accusing Citigroup Inc of playing a key role in its collapse.

Citigroup is the first defendant to go to trial in the United States over accusations of helping conceal corrupt activity by former Parmalat insiders. Parmalat, which collapsed in December 2003 and emerged from bankruptcy in 2005, is seeking $2.2 billion in damages from the biggest U.S. bank.

Citigroup is seeking $699 million of damages on its own claims, saying it was a victim of Parmalat’s fraud.

Opening statements in the civil trial, being held in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey, about 15 miles from Manhattan, are scheduled for Thursday morning, according to a court official. A jury has already been selected.

The trial is expected to take at least two months and involve testimony by about 30 witnesses.

Parmalat is involved in dozens of legal cases in Italy and the United States payday advance. Its chief executive, turnaround specialist Enrico Bondi, has accused some 50 defendants of helping prior Parmalat management hide debt and inflate results.

Parmalat originally sought $10 billion from Citigroup, contending the bank turned a blind eye to the activities of former company officials while it earned lucrative financial services fees. Last month, however, the judge overseeing the case narrowed the scope of Parmalat’s claims.

In that ruling, Judge Jonathan Harris threw out claims accusing Citigroup of fraud, racketeering and unjust enrichment, as well as a claim for punitive damages. Parmalat was allowed to pursue a claim that Citigroup aided and abetted a breach of fiduciary duties by former Parmalat insiders. 

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