My children, now 15 and 17 years old, and I, Michael Donnelly, are US citizens. My ex-wife Ni Made Jati is an Indonesian citizen. We were legally married in California in 1985, moved to Bali in 1987 and led, at least at first, a normal and happy family life. We built two businesses, Uluwatu Boutiques and Kori Restaurant.

In 2005 I was surprised to receive an Accusation of Divorce based upon a fictitious Balinese marriage and backed by a new Marriage Certificate my wife had obtained in 1996 in Denpasar without my knowledge.

At the National Court I entered proof that we had been legally married in California in 1985 and that her 1996 Marriage Certificate was false, but I lost. Apparently there was collusion in the court decision and a betrayal by my own attorneys at Austrindo Law Office.

Her purpose, it seems, was to seize custody of our children and to seize all our family businesses and assets. I was threatened with arrest if I interfered.

I reported to the police in Bali. In the meantime two other suspected frauds came to light, one in a land purchase and another against our business partner at Kori Restaurant. I also reported my original attorneys for suspected fraud.

The police stopped or dropped all the cases, six in total, without investigation. In 2007 I received a death threat and on the advice of the U.S. Embassy I fled with my children to California. But with the assistance of my new lawyer, Maharidzal SH, I continued my legal battles in Indonesia.

In 2008 two decisions from the Supreme Court of Indonesia confirmed that the 1985 California marriage was legal in Indonesia and was ended by divorce, and that Made Jati's acquisition of a new Marriage Certificate in Indonesia in 1996 was unlawful. I hoped that despite the other suspected frauds we could at last we could reach a settlement on our family issues.

Made Jati continued to refuse communication or mediation, however. Collusion among certain members of the Bali law system in protecting Made Jati became even more blatant.

In 2008 Made Jati appeared unexpectedly in California and filed a petition for custody, but then, rather than give testimony, she fled California before trial. The California Court ruled that she abandoned her children and issued an arrest warrant on 50 counts of Contempt.

She has refused all communication or support for our children since. After such a remarkably feeble show of interest in her children, it seems clear that Made Jati's main purpose from the start was always the 100% control of family assets which she continues to hold.

Yet that, too, is only the shallowest view of the story. Because sorting through the extraordinary webs of events and documents, it is apparent that Made Jati is only an instrument to an ends, and that these suspected frauds were planned, backed and controlled by members of the Bali legal community.

At present, a civil case I filed for settlement of assets is ready for appeal to the Supreme Court of Indonesia. From the recent decision of the High Court in Denpasar, it appears that collusion in the Bali courts continues.

Our situation is a sort of perfect storm: a mother willing to sacrifice her children for assets, advised by unethical lawyers, protected by members of the legal system, on an island where preserving the image of paradise so vital to the tourist industry takes priority over all other considerations.

The actions of a dozen people appear to be criminal, but it is useless to report them further in Bali. So I turned to Kompolnas.