A court in the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong is preparing to hand down sentences to some 3-dozen people convicted in a bribery scheme connected to the city's department of motor vehicles.

A total of 40 people have been convicted in a bribery scheme which involved people having to pay some 600 yuan each to pass their drivers exam.

The courts have heard the would-be drivers would pay the money to their driving instructors.

The instructors would then pay kickbacks to the local department of motor vehicles.

Those convicted include the head of Zhanjiang's department of motor vehicles, as well as a number of officials with the department, as well as a group of driving instructors.

Reporter Lan Fen works at a local TV station, and covered the story after it broke in 2013.

She says it appears the bribes were a poorly-kept secret in Zhanjiang.

"What surprised me is the unspoken rule of passing the driving test by offering money was known by virtually everyone locally. One driver told us that when signing up for a driving school, bribes for the examiners were added to the tuition fee. Even if they knew the money was meant for something illegal, the drivers couldn't refuse. If the driver didn't offer the extra money, they would have to take their driver's test again. But if they did pay the money, even if their driving skills weren't good enough to pass, they would still get their license."

So far, over 21-million yuan has been returned as part of the investigation.

The chief of the Zhanjiang Department of Motor Vehicles, Liang Zhihong, has already been handed a 10-year sentence.

Yue Shenshan, a Beijing-based lawyer, says harsh punishment is possible for some of the others convicted, who are still awaiting their sentences.

"These examiners have already been removed from their posts. This is part of their administrative punishment. However, this doesn't mean they will be spared from criminal punishment. It will all depend on their individual circumstances."

Under the current laws, anyone convicted of taking a bribes worth over 100-thousand yuan faces sentences ranging from 10-years in prison to the death penalty in certain cases.