Ah, the glory that was the Soviet Communist Party: chauffeur-driven sedans, opulent dachas, private medical clinics and special schools. These perks evaporated for the party elite within days of the abortive August coup, when President Mikhail Gorbachev quit his post as General Secretary and authorized local elected councils to take control of the organization's extensive property holdings. Today, the Communist Party lies stripped of its buildings, its publications and its domestic bank accounts, which were frozen in August.
But the Communists' complex financial affairs could take years to untangle. The main mystery is where the party stashed its fortune, estimated to...
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