SHAH ALAM: The Syariah High Court here this morning allowed actor-host AC Mizal to withdraw his application for custody of his two children.

While today was supposed to be the start of the custody trial, the actor's Syarie counsel Siti Aishah Din informed judge Abu Zaky Mohammad that  due to his hectic schedule, her client has filed an application to withdraw his claim for full custody of his two children, Muhammad Shafiq Imam, 12, and Muhammad Shabil Iman,9, from ex-wife Shafnie Zainuddin.

AC Mizal, 38, whose real name is Mizal Zani, was not present in court today but Siti Aishah told reporters the Akademi Fantasia host opted to withdraw his application because he was unable to commit to court proceedings at the Syariah High Court here and did not wish to become a problem for the court.

Siti Aishah said the actor instead chose to focus on his ongoing cases at the Hulu Langat Syariah Lower Court in Kajang where Shafnie, who was also not in court today, had applied for commital proceedings against the former over his alleged failure to pay child suport.

Shafnie, 34, had also applied to the same lower court to alter the amount of child support that her ex-husband was ordered to pay, as she said his income has since increased since the order was issued by Kajang court.

Shafnie, a former model, was represented by Syarie lawyer Nor Azmi Mohd Arif.

AC Mizal and Shafnie were married on June 24, 1995 and divorced on Oct 17, 2001. Shafnie was given full custody over their two boys.

AC Mizal filed for custody in December 2008.

Shafnie had previously filed an application for a committal proceedings at the Syariah High Court on Sept 10, 2008 against her ex for his failure to pay child support as ordered by the lower court.

But the High Court rejected her application to send her former husband to jail as the application should have been made to the lower court, where the order to pay child support was issued.

The Hulu Langat Syariah Lower Court had ordered AC Mizal to pay RM50,000 in instalments after failing to pay the child support following the couple's divorce.

AC Mizal had also filed for an injunction preventing his ex-wife from issuing any press statements on matters pertaining to the court proceedings as well as preventing the media from publishing her statements made out of court.

AC Mizal has appeared in a number of famous films and television shows, including 'Gerak Khas' and the blockbuster 'Cicakman'.